Without Thinking
by tsundereaibou
Summary: Saiki Kusuo finds himself in his third year of high school after the events of Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan: Kanketsu-hen (Conclusion). He's adjusting to his new life… until he gets caught up in some regrettable incidents witnessed by none other than Teruhashi Kokomi. It may change Saiki's life in more ways than he could have ever foreseen.
1. Taking the Bait

**Without Thinking**

* * *

Disclaimer: This story is set after the last Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan manga chapter. With this I mean the last 2 JUMP Giga chapters that come after chapter 279. These two chapters were adapted in episode 6 of Netflix' The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.: Reawakened. There will be spoilers if you haven't read those, or watched up to that point.

I will summarise the essentials in the next chapter, so one more warning: SPOILERS.

I started writing this months before Reawakened was released, so I based it off the manga version's ending. This ending was a bit more open and up for interpretation, so I went with one.

If you like my work, then please leave some love and consider sharing it with other Saiki fans.

I'm around on Reddit and Tumblr by the alias of tsundere_aibou / tsundereaibou. I love it when people drop me a line, so please don't hesitate!

Thanks, and please enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Taking the Bait**

* * *

"It sounds like a trap to me, Saiki. However, we cannot ignore the hundreds of civilian lives that are at stake."

Kaidou was leaning against Saiki's school desk, his bandaged arms folded across his chest. Kuboyasu was standing next to them, hands in pockets, and Nendou was off to the side, digging around in his pants for what Saiki sincerely hoped was his hamster. Kuboyasu laughed heartily and gently slapped Kaidou on the shoulder, which somehow still nearly made him topple over.

"I doubt there will be hundreds of people there, Shun. Still, you guys should go and check it out." Kuboyasu winked. "It doesn't happen often that the girls invite us over."

_What a pain_.

Saiki, in an attempt to ignore the idiots around his desk, pondered for a moment if he would have been better off letting that meteor hit the earth after all.

That had been about six weeks ago. Shortly before that, he had used his brother's new invention: a new control device that should have sealed his powers for good. And at first that had certainly been the case. Saiki had no longer been able to use any of his powers: no x-ray vision, super strength, telekinesis, not even telepathy. Finally rid of these cursed powers… and some of the conveniences that came with it.

Of course that was when a meteor had suddenly started heading for Japan. So typical. Finally without powers, and instantly utterly useless. The role of sitting duck was an unfamiliar one for the pink-haired youth.

However, there had been a twist. To this day it was still unclear to him what had caused it — his powers had been a bit volatile just after using the device, leaking through a couple of times — but either way, his powers had fully returned in the middle of all that. He had been able to throw on an invisibility cloak, ascend into the exosphere and punch the meteor back to from whence it came. Crisis averted once more.

That had been it though. Trying to wield his powers after that had yielded no result. It seemed they were really gone now. Forever.

So here he was, without his trademark green-tinted glasses and limiters in his hair — after all he had no use for them anymore — and wondering how to get out of this situation without the use of psychic powers.

His name was Saiki Kusuo, and he was just a normal high school student.

With a bunch of really stupid, annoying friends.

Who were trying to convince him to attend a stupid high school party.

He wasn't _that _normal.

_Good grief._

The girl camp — that was Teruhashi, Yumehara and Mera — had been set up at Teruhashi's desk. Unfortunately that meant it was right next to him.

They were halfway through their first term of their third year in high school. Back in April, Saiki had successfully stopped the volcano from erupting at last. The world had finally been able to get out of the time loop that it had been stuck in for years. Regrettably for him, a new school year meant shuffled classroom seats. Without his powers, he was just left with his abysmal luck. With no way to oppose her anymore, he was at Teruhashi's whim, who was loved by the Gods. And they had granted her a desk next to him this year. He sighed.

It would have been so pleasant to seal the worthless power that sucked oddballs to him like a magnet as well, but alas, no dice.

"W-well, I invited the entire class, s-so…" Yumehara sputtered at Kuboyasu's notion that she'd invited them specifically. Bowing her head did not hide the crimson of her cheeks, still visible through her strawberry blonde bangs.

_Just invite Kaidou already. Leave me out of it. Geez._

"I really hope everyone will be there. I'd like to celebrate my 18th birthday with all my friends." Yumehara eyed Teruhashi nervously. "You'll come right, Kokomi?" It was so obvious she was using her as lure.

Sparkles just shot off Teruhashi's aura. Saiki swore he saw some embers land in front of him.

"Oh, of course I will, Chiyo! It'll be so much fun!"

A deafening _"OFFU!" _resounded through the classroom. Possibly through the hallway as well.

Of course, Saiki just remained seated at his desk with pursed lips, arms folded across his chest. If Teruhashi was coming, then all the more reason for him _not _to. Imagine the kinds of disaster he would find himself in if he did. No thanks.

He mumbled something about visiting his grandparents on the day of the party. Actually having to move your mouth to communicate was still a pain, now that he could no longer send words straight into someone's mind. So he did it as little as possible.

"That's odd. I don't see anything planned with your obaa-san and ojii-san." Aiura was playing with her crystal ball at the desk behind them. She didn't have to rat him out though.

"You should go, Kusuo. You won't regret it." There was a weird, melancholic tone to her voice.

_What on earth is she talking about?_

Teruhashi beckoned Mera closer and whispered something in her ear. What were they up to? Telepathy would have been pretty useful right about now.

"Ehhhh?! There will be a chocolate fountain?!"

_Never mind that. Who needs telepathy._

Did they take him for a fool? He would not rise to the bait.

"And macarons? And cupcakes?!"

What kind of party was this? A tea party?

"Eh what? Coffee jelly?" Even Mera was getting suspicious now.

_Tsk._

It was most certainly a trap. He didn't care how good the lure was. There was clearly something fishy about this.

If he still had his precognition, it would be telling him to get the hell out of there. Right now. Massive migraine included. Going to the party was a very bad idea.

He would _not_ take the bait.


	2. Hook, Line and Sinker

**Chapter 2 - Hook, line and sinker**

* * *

He may have taken the bait.

As expected, it had been a ploy. If there had been any sweets, then Mera had finished them all off before Saiki got there. The only sweet thing left seemed to be the punch. Which had obviously been spiked, judging from the burn in his throat. He had some anyway.

Yumehara's party was in full swing. There were people _everywhere_. It felt like one of those game shows where they try to fit as many people as possible in a tiny space. Yumehara's house wasn't even small. Saiki didn't recognize most of these people. Was the entire school here?

The dumbasses that had encouraged him to come, were nowhere to be found. He wasn't sure whether to feel relieved about that or not. Usually he would be. Still, he found himself shuffling through the masses looking for a familiar face. Ideally without anyone spilling drinks on him, but that had been too much to ask.

He had just grabbed some random clothes from his wardrobe: a thin, long-sleeved indigo V-neck sweater over a white shirt and some simple black trousers. Nice and plain, just as he liked it, and most of all: dark. The stains on his jeans were barely noticeable.

He heard some commotion coming from the next room.

"Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!"

"Oh? Who's Chuck? Oh?"

Saiki recognized that voice all too well, so he hung back, staying out of sight. Nendou and Kuboyasu were sitting across from each other at a table, with each a line of filled beer glasses in front of them. Kuboyasu had started downing them while Nendou was being his idiot self, looking for Chuck. People around them were cheering them on.

"Don't give up! Give it everything you've got!" Of course, there was no motivator like Hairo. He was darting around the table like a lunatic.

_Isn't it way past his bedtime anyway?_

"NENDOU-KUN! Where's your willpower? Drink!" Hairo was sweating buckets.

"Oh? Oh! Cheers!" Nendou raised a glass, like he was doing a toast, and then put it to his mouth.

The audience went wild when Nendou started chugging down the beers in mere seconds, quickly catching up with Kuboyasu. The ex-delinquent only had one glass to go, but was obviously struggling to keep everything down.

Saiki figured it was probably best to get going before they noticed him and started puking all over him. Nendou was just about to gulp down his last glass as Hairo was flipping out over Kuboyasu's lack of determination.

"Oh? Partner?" Nendou corkscrewed his neck to look behind him, in Saiki's direction. Saiki managed to duck behind some people just in time.

_Yikes._

The crowd cried in protest as Kuboyasu finished his last beer while Nendou was still scanning the area.

"Oh? Congrats man, you're so much better at drinking than me."

Saiki silently slid out of the kitchen. Nendou's partner radar was truly a force to be reckoned with. Maybe he was a psychic.

Saiki continued on his rather purposeless journey. This was so not his scene. Too much noise, flickering lights, drunk people. It was stuffy and hot. He felt light-headed. Maybe he should just leave.

In hind-sight, he should have left.

He eventually made it to the living room, which had what appeared to be a dance floor in the center. On the far end of the room, he spotted another one of the usual suspects: Kaidou. He was leaning against the wall, engaged in a seemingly enthralling conversation with Yumehara.

Saiki couldn't help but smile. _Good for you, Kaidou._ He probably shouldn't interrupt.

_~ I've been alone with you inside my mind ~_  
_~ And in my dreams I've kissed your lips a thousand times ~_

What was this sudden feeling of dread?

Although he had never been to a party like this before, he instinctively knew that slow songs were bad news.

Suddenly the crowd parted like the Red Sea. Brilliant rays of light found their way through the gaps, illuminating the room. Violet eyes locked with navy blue.

_~ Hello, is it me you're looking for? ~_

_Oh no._

It was Teruhashi. Of course it was Teruhashi. She'd donned a white knee-length cocktail dress, radiating pure elegance. With her blue hair in a twisted half-up style, she looked angelic. Saiki had no idea how he even knew the name of that hairstyle.

She looked astonishing. No surprise there.

What did surprise him, was that he was unable to move. He was frozen, stuck. Stunned. Like a deer caught in the headlights.

She was making her way towards him. Small steps, as much as her snug dress would allow. Her cheeks had turned rosy. It was like watching a slow-motion movie scene.

He'd seen the movies. They'd meet in the middle of the room, they'd dance, they'd kiss and then they'd live happily ever after.

So naturally, Saiki was freaking out.

_I need to get out of here._

There was no way he could turn her down in front of such a crowd.

He managed a step backwards. His back pressed against something warm and squishy. Saiki glanced over his shoulder. Seemed he had reversed into Aiura's chest.

"Hey Kusuo! Let's dance~!"

Aiura grabbed Saiki by the hand before he had a chance to respond, dragging him to the center of the dance floor. He had been so preoccupied with getting away from one ambush that he had run straight into the other. Typical.

Aiura was wearing a low-cut black club dress that didn't leave much to the imagination. Saiki wondered for a moment if her bling covered more skin than the fabric did. He tensed up when she draped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him way too close.

Was it just him or did the room just darken? He caught a quick glimpse of Teruhashi's shocked face before the horde of people engulfed her.

_~ Are you somewhere feeling lonely? ~_  
_~ Or is someone loving you? ~_

"What are you doing?" Saiki hissed under his breath. Although Aiura made no secret of her affection for him, she would usually respect his boundaries.

Aiura winked at him. "Don't worry, Kushuo. You'll shee." A waft of alcohol trailed her slurred words. She must have had a little too much of the punch.

_Out of the frying pan straight into the goddamn fire._

Aiura was clinging to him, her head now on his shoulder. He felt her massive chest push against him. His body was stiff as a board. This was so awkward.

He figured the best course of action at this point was just to let her have this dance. He'd give her a good scolding for it later.

_~ Tell me how to win your heart ~_  
_~ For I haven't got a clue ~_

But then Aiura lifted her head and gave him a rueful smile.

"Forgive me," she whispered. Then she leaned in and kissed him.

Aiura _kissed_ him.

He didn't mean to push her away like that, but he had been totally taken by surprise.

_What the… she… what?_

He still tasted a mix of alcohol and lipstick on his lips. His heart was pounding so hard it hurt. A deafening silence filled the room. Was the entire world looking at them?

_~ But let me start by saying ~_  
_~ I love you ~_

Saiki was dumbstruck, staring with wide eyes at the tanned blonde. Aiura just stood there, watching him. He was too confused right now to figure out that wistful look on her face.

_I've gotta get out of here. Now._

He stammered an apology, turned on his heel and left the room as fast as his feet could carry him. He couldn't breathe. It had been a mistake to come here.

It was as if he was plowing through quagmire, feeling the sting of the stares on his back. Finally he made it outside, finding a bench at the far end of the garden. His head was spinning, but at least the fresh air helped a bit. He slumped down onto the bench. The area was spacious and surprisingly void of people. Annoying, drunk, uninhibited people.

Saiki was shaking. What the hell, Aiura? What was she thinking? Was this what she'd meant when she had said that he wouldn't regret coming here? He'd pulled her aside after class to ask her about that, but she had refused to elaborate. She'd been really weird about it. She'd been weird ever since he'd told her he was going to seal his powers. Aiura had protested his decision, begged him not to do it, even cried over it. Eventually she had come to terms with it, though. Since then there had been this really weird vibe between them.

_Everything about this feels weird._

The expression on her face was still haunting him. It hadn't been the typical, shocked, you-just-broke-my-heart look. Like the way Teruhashi had looked at him. It had been something else. Which made no sense to him at all.

_Ugh. Women._

He leaned back against the bench, staring up at the starry sky. The mild early summer breeze gently picked at his pink locks. He took a deep breath to calm himself. It did not help. He was still feeling anxious.

_Telepathy could have prevented this._

Saiki scowled. No. He would not go down that road. He had no regrets.

He wanted nothing more than to get away from this godforsaken place. He might punch someone if he went back into that mob right now though. Saiki decided to wait a little bit and then try to get out without being seen.

He closed his eyes. Blending into the shadows had just become his number one priority.

* * *

Ruined. Absolutely ruined.

Her entrance had been perfect. Perfectly planned and then perfectly executed. Even his response had been perfect. She had captivated the uncapturable Saiki Kusuo.

Sure, it may not have been an _offu_, but honestly she'd given up on that by now. Instead, it had become a desire for something else. For something _more._

Of course, Saiki was even denser than your average guy when romantic advances were concerned, so she'd been working really hard towards that goal. But it had seemed that she was finally getting somewhere.

There had been something different about him since the start of this school year. For one, he'd started wearing contacts and lost those hair pins. The new look had taken some getting used to but hmm, she wasn't complaining. He looked good.

It hadn't been just his looks that changed though. Maybe he'd decided to up his social game a bit? He was still quiet and would often just stare into space with that dreamy look of his, but he did seem to hang out with his friends more now. It had also been easier to manipulate her way into his company. Of course, the Gods would usually lend her a hand, but he used to have this way of worming his way out of doing anything together. For some reason, he didn't seem as opposed to mingling as he used to be. Honestly she really hadn't expected him to show up at this party, and yet here he was. You could truly lure this guy anywhere with the promise of sweets.

It could have been so good tonight, too. She had been so close. Teruhashi still couldn't believe that _gyaru _had swooped in like that, taking him to the dance floor.

That was the last she had seen of them. Obviously her grand entrance had not gone unnoticed by the rest of the crowd. It had taken everything out of her to kindly reject every one of the dance invitations she had received. By the time she was done, Saiki and Aiura were gone.

The next thing she noticed was the strong buzz going on. Now that in itself wasn't anything unusual. Teruhashi Kokomi created a buzz wherever she went. The weird thing was, it didn't seem to be about her this time.

"Did you hear? They kissed."

"Yeah man, she totally trashed him!"

"I heard it was the other way around."

"They got a real groove on in the middle of the dance floor."

"What an idiot! I'd totally hit that, _gyaru_ or not. Have you seen her knockers?"

_Wait, what?_

"Maybe he's gay?"

"Well the pink hair is kind of a red flag."

Suddenly Teruhashi felt sick to her stomach.

"I just don't get what she sees in him? He's so fucking plain, man."

"Takahashi said he saw them make out. He totally groped her."

_What happened? Did Saiki kiss Aiura?_

Teruhashi leaned into the wall, trying to keep her balance. She suddenly felt really dizzy. She half-heartedly waved away the boys that were immediately coming to her aid. Not now.

_Does he like Aiura?_

They hadn't been hanging out that much lately, had they? Aiura had pulled him so close for that dance. Had she finally conquered his heart? Maybe they'd been dating in secret?

She was desperately trying to keep the visions of Saiki and Aiura in the middle of the most ungodly acts out of her head. It felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest.

_Do I stand a chance at all?_

She was losing her mind.

Air. She should get some fresh air. She took a deep breath, regained her composure somewhat and made her way towards the backyard as gracefully as she could manage.


	3. Smitten

**Chapter 3 - Smitten**

* * *

_Zen._

Well, not quite. But at least his heart rate had gone back to normal.

Saiki was still seated on the bench in the back of Yumehara's garden. Closing his eyes and focusing on his breathing had helped in grounding him a bit. Keeping his eyes shut was kind of like letting go of his telepathy — at first it had made him feel apprehensive, but after some time it had actually turned into this feeling of serenity. It was bittersweet.

He wasn't going to lie — adjusting to a life without powers had been a challenge. Losing the ability to read people's minds had been the biggest change for him. While he welcomed the peace and quiet in his head, he still occasionally got startled by people suddenly calling out to him. He actually had to make an effort to read people's faces now to figure out their intentions, and he begrudgingly had to admit he wasn't as good at it as he thought he was.

It was one of the reasons he'd found himself in the company of others more often. They'd become so much more successful at snaring him now that he couldn't outmanoeuvre them with his powers anymore. Well, some of them anyway. Although he should mention that he didn't mind hanging out with people as much as he used to. It just tired him. After all, his introversion hadn't changed. Maybe it was easier to put up with others now because his powers didn't drain so much of his energy anymore.

Saiki had actually intended to tell his friends about his powers after they had been sealed. He'd wanted to come clean and apologize to them for the things he'd done. But then he had had a couple of weird occurrences where his powers had popped up uncontrollably, so he'd decided to hold off on telling them. The power discharge had soon disappeared fully, but he had lost the courage to confess.

_I should probably tell them,_ Saiki mused, _now that they are completely gone. _He'd just had so much on his mind lately.

Saiki hadn't quite worked out all the different aspects of his new life yet. He had made it his life goal not to stand out. Be as average and uninteresting as possible. Don't get involved. Don't _care_. It had been a coat he'd forced himself to wear like armor, believing it was necessary. Now that that necessity was gone, it'd left him wondering just how well that coat had fit him to begin with. Yet the familiarity was strangely comfortable at the same time.

Sure, the opportunity for this change of identity was exciting in a way, but he mostly found it incredibly unnerving. How could he actually _be_ _himself_ when he had no idea who he actually was anymore? He wasn't quite ready to deal with it yet. The loss of powers alone had been confusing enough. He did rather miss some of the conveniences, like those of teleportation and telekinesis at times. However, losing abilities like his x-ray vision had been quite literally an eye-opener. He could now watch TV without being distracted by the wiring. Definitely one of the biggest boons as far as he was concerned. He might also be starting to appreciate the beauty of things more now that he could actually take it in for more than a couple of seconds.

In that regard, viewing people had been an odd experience. He had been so used to them being nothing more than repulsive assemblies of bone and meat. Now that he could finally get a good look at people, he realized just how much he had actually missed. He really had to make sure not to keep staring at people he'd known for years. It was still screwing with his mind at times. Like the wickedness of Nendou's face. Or how undeniably beautiful Teruhashi really was. He still didn't care for it, it just surprised him how it'd never stood out to him like that befo—

At that point he felt the bench wobble. Saiki opened his eyes.

_Speak of the devil._

Sitting next to him was none other than Teruhashi Kokomi.

That was shock #1. Shock #2 was the fact that she was completely ignoring him. She was just staring into space. As if he was just air.

_What the…_

Saiki was perplexed. Something was seriously off. Was he getting the silent treatment? Was she angry with him for what had happened with Aiura? Had she even seen that? Her eyes seemed kinda watery. Was she crying?

For years he had made effort after effort to get her to act like he didn't exist, and now that she finally did, it was confusing the hell out of him. The irony was not lost on him.

Well this was awkward. Good grief. What was he supposed to do? His gaze lowered to his hands for a moment.

…_oh._

Except there were no hands. Teruhashi was acting like he did not exist because he did not actually exist in her world right now. He was, in fact, just air.

It appeared that he was currently invisible.

…

…

_What. Why. How._

Saiki's mind was racing. This was surely just a bad dream, right? It certainly had all the makings of an absolute goddamn nightmare. There was no way that his powers could have possibly come back after all this time. He was finally starting to adjust to a life without that curse.

But just in case that they _were _back…

How long had he been invisible? When would it wear off? If it would at all? He should get out of here as soon as possible. Could he get off this bench without Teruhashi noticing? It had just moved under her weight and she couldn't weigh much.

_Just stay calm. Don't panic. Don't panic!_

She may not be able to see him right now, but every sound he made was still audible, and she was sitting right next to him. He was trying with all his might to keep his breathing under control. His heart was beating so loudly that he feared she might hear it. Not to mention that she could cancel out his transparency with a single touch, so he was toast if she moved even just a little bit.

Assuming this was actually his power at play, of course. His powers had been gone for nearly two months. It made no sense for them to return now. Geez. It was still way more likely that this was just a lucid dream. A terrible one at that.

"…eh? Saiki-kun?"

Saiki's heart just stopped beating. Teruhashi was looking straight at him. With… kind of a… miffed look on her face?

_Huh?_

"Oh _please_, don't tell me I'm even hallucinating about him now. Am I delirious?" she muttered.

Saiki glanced down at himself. He was translucent. Which meant his invisibility was wearing off.

_Yeah, I'm not so sure that this is just a dream anymore._

For the second time that night, Teruhashi had him incapacitated. He had to come up with a way out. Fast.

_Stay focused. Don't panic._

She still thought he was just a figment of her imagination. Could he teleport right now? He tried, but nothing happened.

"Just piss off already," she grumbled as she flicked her arm in annoyance at what she perceived to be just Saiki's mirage. Her hand connected with his cheek.

The both of them froze. His opacity had just been bumped back to full with a slap to the face.

He panicked.

_D-did she jus— How am I— Wait wha—_

Everything after that happened so fast. Teruhashi was gaping at him like she had just seen a ghost. His own expression couldn't have been much different. Saiki had merely raised his hand in an attempt to get away from her, but that somehow triggered his telekinesis. At full force.

Teruhashi went flying. She came to an abrupt halt against a massive oak tree halfway across the garden.

_Oh _s_hit-shit-shit-shit-SHIT!_

Saiki scrambled over to Teruhashi as fast as he could. She had collapsed into a broken bundle of misery at the base of the tree. She was covered in cuts and bruises, her dress torn. That leg should not be bending that way, and there were bloody bone fragments sticking out of her arm. It was horrible, but it wasn't what had him freaking out. A high-speed car crash would feel like walking into a door compared to the impact she had just suffered. This kind of trauma would cause life-threatening internal bleeding.

"O-oh man, I'm s-so sorry," he stuttered, his voice breaking. Saiki knelt down next to her trembling body. How was she was even still conscious? Teruhashi was watching him from the corner of her eye like he was some kind of monster. She tried to inch away from him, which caused her to cry out in agony, which in turn got her into a coughing fit. She was hacking up blood.

"Shhh," he shushed, leaning in so he could gently hold her by her shoulders, "don't move. Just hold still." She shuddered at his touch. His stomach turned. He hadn't meant for any of this to happen.

He felt helpless and useless.

_What do normal people do in this sort of situation?_

Get help? Yeah. He should probably go and get help.

He was just about to, but then he noticed that the look on Teruhashi's face had changed. It had gone from one of extreme pain just a second ago to one of incredulity. He glanced down at her and hastily withdrew his hands.

_Wait, she's fine? Why di— Did I heal her?_

Teruhashi gawked at her arm that had had an open fracture just a moment earlier. It didn't even have so much as a scratch now. Her bruises and cuts were gone. The ripped dress was looking as pristine as ever. Saiki felt like he could breathe again.

_I'm so glad she's okay._

Their eyes met. Teruhashi's eyes were wide with shock, staring at him in utter confusion. Saiki's relief quickly faded.

_Now how do I explain this mess?_

* * *

"Wha-wha— did I not just— what d-did you— how…"

Saiki didn't even have time to worry about the return of his powers. Right now he was preoccupied with damage control. He might have been able to cover up one accidental use of power, but _three_ was going to be a real challenge. What to do?

First he had to get a hold of himself again. That had been way too much outward emotion. It didn't help that it had to be Teruhashi of all people. Not with regard to witnessing his powers and definitely not with regard to witnessing him in this state of mind. It was hard to shake the feeling of guilt he had over hurting her like that though. It had been completely out of his control and yet he still wished she wouldn't have had to go through all that.

"S-Saiki-kun…?"

_Right. Get a hold of yourself._

He took a deep breath. He was still kneeling next to her. He stood up, brushed some soil off his knees and extended a hand to Teruhashi. She looked at him warily. He couldn't really blame her.

"Look, I'm not going to hurt you. All right? I'm sorry. It was an accident." He hesitated for a moment. "…I'm really sorry."

Teruhashi watched him for a moment before taking his hand. Saiki pulled her to her feet. Then they just stood there, staring at each other. Waiting for the other to make a move.

_Okay. Now what._

"U-um…" Teruhashi started. Her cheeks were getting redder by the second, so she cleared her throat and looked away from him. "S-so you know what happened then?"

Would it be a lie to say no? Because honestly he had no clue other than that his powers had somehow resurfaced outside of his control. "Uh, I'm not sure," he muttered, hoping that would be enough. When her questioning eyes crept back up to meet his, he figured it probably wasn't.

For now, he needed to buy some extra time so he could think of something. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

She blinked. "Uh… y-yeah…" He nodded, but she wasn't done. "B-but I mean… that's the whole point, right? I shouldn't be…"

Saiki shrugged. "Maybe we just imagined it?" He was aware that it was a long shot. His suggestion struck a nerve instead, because she was now scowling at him.

"Why, yes," she scoffed, "that must be it, Saiki-kun. There is, after all, no way that _a semi-transparent version of you just blasted me across the yard. _I thought I heard bones cracking, but I must have been mistaken."

_Yeah, I didn't think so._

"Really. Like, _really_. I might be in shock, but I'm not an idiot. What the hell did you do?"

"Uh…" he started. He was at a loss for words. Those prying eyes didn't help either.

Behind them, some tumult was coming from the house. Seemed a couple of kids had come outside. Loud kids. Loud and drunk.

"Hey, is someone back there?" That was apparently hilarious, judging from the laughter that followed. "Probably making out, haha—" More laughter.

Saiki grabbed Teruhashi by the wrist and pulled her behind the tree, out of the idiots' line of sight. The kids hadn't figured out exactly who they were yet, and he'd like to keep it that way. He was already starring in enough gossip tonight.

Someone else pitched in. "Oh, did you hear about that _gyaru_ and that other guy yet? She—"

_Seriously._

He turned his gaze back to the bluenette. She had gone red as a beet. Saiki quickly let go of her wrist.

"S-so are you going to explain or not?" she spoke softly, staring at the ground. She was not going to let this go.

He sighed. "…okay. I will tell you. But not here," he whispered, then thought for a moment. "I think there's a playground down the street. Do you know it?" She nodded.

"Okay. I will meet you there in 15 minutes. Please try and leave your fan club here."

"O-okay," she breathed.

Saiki peeked past the tree. Seemed that the kids had gone back inside. Good. He stepped out and made his way towards the house.

He had 15 minutes to come up with something.

* * *

Teruhashi was pressed with her back against the tree. Even though all the pain and injuries had disappeared with Saiki's touch, it still felt like she could barely stand. She wanted to scream and cry and and… whatever else was normal to feel when your crush had just crushed you. And then be the sweetest thing straight afterwards. Her head was spinning.

He had seemed sincerely sorry. _"It was an accident,"_ rang in her head. How did you blow someone into a tree by accident? How did you do something like that anyway? He hadn't touched her. She'd seen him move his hand and then she had felt an enormous force blowing her away from him. Why hadn't he been on that bench when she had first sat down? And why had he been see-through? Was she going crazy?

It had been maybe 10 minutes since Saiki had left. She should probably get going. Or should she? Was Saiki dangerous? He was obviously very powerful. Was he going to kill her now that she knew his secret? What else was he hiding under that ordinary appearance? There was obviously more to this guy than meets the eye. It was frightening and… kind of exciting, too.

She'd never seen him so upset before either. It'd been very unusual. And sort of sweet. That aloof demeanor might just be a front after all.

_Shut it,_ she berated herself. She had not forgotten about the Aiura rumours. _Don't get your hopes up._

For now she was just going to focus on what he had to say. She might be dead in 15 minutes. Who knew.

Teruhashi skilfully slid past the mob of people indoors. Fortunately, she was used to being followed, so she knew immediately if she had someone on her tail. She had toned down her radiance and stuck to the shadows, making it to the front door in no time. She nearly forgot to grab her coat, but remembered just in time. She might be out for a while, and it was getting chilly.

She did feel bad for leaving without talking to Yumehara. She would explain later.

Then again… what was she going to tell her? "_Sorry Chiyo, I had to leave early because Saiki-kun used magic on me. He nearly killed me but then he healed me so we're good. Afterwards we went to the playground." _Yeah, that didn't sound right. She would have to come up with an excuse later.

She was walking down the street, clinging to her coat that she was pressing against her tummy. Maybe it had been magic? She was mad for even considering it. But how else would you explain this?

How did she feel about Saiki being a possible magic wielder?

_What else can he do?_

Part of her was screaming to run for the hills. That he must be up to no good. That this could only end in tears. The other part wanted to delve right into the mystery that was Saiki Kusuo. Yelling that it was her only chance.

She considered going home for a moment, but he'd just find her if she tried to flee.

Teruhashi had arrived at the entrance of the playground. It was a small park with a swing set, a small playhouse, a slide and a couple of spring riders. She'd walked past it loads of times on the way to Yumehara's home. It was quite popular with the kids during the day, but right now it looked eerie. It was dark and desolated.

Except for the all too familiar pink-haired individual, of course. He was sitting on one of the swing seats, turned away from the entrance. Teruhashi halted, staring at his back. His shoulders were slumped a bit, as was his head. He looked harmless.

_Who is this guy?_

Teruhashi took a deep breath and walked over, sitting down in the swing seat next to Saiki.

_Let's find out._


	4. A Kind of Magic

**Chapter 4 - A Kind of Magic**

* * *

Saiki could hear her footsteps approaching.

"Hi," she spoke softly, after she'd sat down on the swing next to him.

"…hey," he murmured in response. Then it was silent. She was probably waiting for him.

He'd racked his brain until it hurt and he'd still come up empty-handed. There was no lie that she would believe. He'd considered going home instead of waiting for her, even if just to buy himself some more time, but she would just come after him. There really was only one way to go from here.

_I'll have to tell her the truth._

She might not even believe it. He had tried to use his powers as soon as he'd reached the playground, to no avail. They appeared to be as gone as they had been before. Teleportation, telekinesis, pyrokinesis, invisibility, levitation — _nothing_. The only thoughts in his head were his own. There was no way to prove it to her anymore, other than the three incidents she had already witnessed back at the party. It might be enough, though.

"Saiki-kun?" Right. She was waiting.

He'd been in this situation before. Backed into a corner with no other option than to reveal his true identity. That was why he didn't understand why he couldn't find the words this time. He clasped his hands tightly to keep them from shaking.

"Are you a wizard?" Her voice was tight, but she sounded dead serious.

A nervous chuckle escaped him. He hadn't heard that one before.

"Um… I suppose you could call it that." He glanced at her sideways. She looked fairly composed right now. He took a deep breath, trying to quieten his thundering heart.

_Here we go._

"I used to call myself a psychic, or an esper, if you will. But what's in a name. You can call me a wizard if you like."

He gave her some time to let that sink in. She was staring into space, clutching her coat like it was her most prized possession. This was new to him, not being able to hear someone's inner response to his revelation.

"…psychic," she echoed slowly. He could nearly hear the cogs turning. "Um… like… like clairvoyance?"

"Amongst others, yes." She was taking this pretty well. So far.

Teruhashi furrowed her brow. "Hang on. Used to?"

_She's sharp._

He nodded. "Yes. I've had psychic powers ever since I was born. But they are sealed away now, so I shouldn't be able to use them anymore. I don't know what happened back there." He paused. "Well, I know what happened, I just don't understand why."

"…so what happened?" She was looking at him now. He couldn't really figure out the expression on her face. Did she believe him or not?

"I turned myself invisible before you arrived, without even noticing it. I blew you away with telekinesis — again, sorry about that. I didn't mean to. Curing you with restoration was unintentional as well, but I don't regret that one so much."

Her eyes were darting around. "...just _how many powers_ do you have?"

"Did," he corrected her. "They're gone. I can't use them anymore. I know it sounds weird after what happened tonight. It shouldn't have." Saiki kicked into the soil, setting the swing in a slow, swaying motion. "But eh, a lot."

"Such as?"

_She's not going to like this._

"Other than those, uh… teleportation, super strength, pyrokinesis, precognition, flight, petrification, transformation, hypnosis, mind control, time travel, x-ray vision…" Saiki was watching Teruhashi closely. She was getting paler and paler as he went on, "…telepathy… to name a few."

It was like he had just delivered the finishing blow. Teruhashi was shaking her head as if in denial, eyes wide with terror.

"Y-you could hear people's thoughts?" Her lower lip was trembling.

"Yeah. It was pretty noisy." She was white as a ghost now.

"A-and you lost your powers w-when…?"

"About two months ago."

"H-h..."

Teruhashi's eyes rolled back as she fainted. Saiki quickly jumped off his seat and rushed over to catch her before she fell off the swing. He got her just in time.

_She can withstand the pain of being slammed into a tree with my telekinesis, but knowing I've been able to hear her thoughts is too much. Typical._

Saiki lifted her limp body and stood there for a moment, looking down at the unconscious girl in his arms. No other woman had ever caused him so much trouble in his life. Good grief. And now she knew. He wasn't sure what she would do once she'd wake up. He wasn't sure if he wanted to be around for that either. He didn't really have a choice though.

He carried her over to the slide and lay her down on the lower part carefully. He grabbed the coat that she had dropped and draped it over her, then sat down on one of the spring riders right next to the slide. For now he could do nothing more than wait for her to regain consciousness.

_Even when passed out, she still somehow manages to look graceful_, he pondered briefly while watching her, slowly swaying on the tiny snail rider.

Sometimes he did wonder what was on her mind nowadays. There had been a small, but gradual change in her that he had noticed even before he'd lost his powers. She didn't seem to be quite as conceited as she used to be, at least. Then again, a leopard cannot change its spots, right? She was probably still doing her best to keep up appearances. Teruhashi lived for the spotlight, at the expense of well, pretty much anything. Something he just could not comprehend, always having sought a life of solitude. They really couldn't be any more different. Saiki smirked. Soon she would realize this herself and lose the nonsensical obsession she had with him. If she hadn't already. Chances were she wouldn't want to have anything to do with him anymore after tonight, anyway.

He wasn't really sure why that seemed to bother him.

_Hm. I suppose I'd consider her a friend._

"Ngh..."

_Oh, she's coming round._

Teruhashi moaned softly as she blinked a couple of times. She looked a bit disoriented as she propped up on her elbows, glancing around her. Then her gaze fixed on him.

_Three, two, one…_

Then she remembered.

"A-ah S-s-saiki-kun, I-i-," she panicked, crimson rushing to her cheeks. He tried to speak and put her at ease, but she talked straight over him.

"T-they're just th-thoughts, right, they d-don't really mean anything — I m-mean d-don't r-read t-too much into what y-you may have heard— I-I get w-weird id-ideas sometimes—" she ranted frantically as she was plucking at her coat nervously.

He tried again, "don't sweat it, I've heard worse—" but she continued to garble excuses that he could barely make out.

"Teruhashi-san!" He hated to raise his voice, but she'd left him no choice. Finally she shut up, watching him with big, troubled eyes.

"Look… I get it, okay? It's invasive. Thoughts should be private. I had no control over hearing them. Why do you think I got rid of this curse?" He sighed. "I'm sorry for invading your privacy. It won't happen again."

_I hope._

Teruhashi nodded slowly, still panting from her outburst.

"Anyway," Saiki cleared his throat, "that's probably the worst of my wizardry. Ex-wizardry. No more magic. I'm just a regular boring guy now. For real this time."

_Please believe it._

"It's just um… a lot to take in," she breathed. He nodded, rocking back and forth on his little snail friend. He half expected her to up and leave after dropping this bomb on her. He wouldn't blame her if she did. She wasn't really doing anything though, aside from observing him like he was some sort of newly discovered species. So he just waited.

"Uh," she started after a long silence, "can I ask a couple of questions?"

He shrugged. "Sure, shoot."

And then the floodgates opened.

* * *

A couple of questions, she'd said. Right. It seemed like every one of his answers made her ask ten more. Teruhashi would leave no stone unturned in her quest to understand the inner workings of an ex-psychic. The barrage of questions shouldn't really have come as a surprise to him, knowing how diligent she could be. And yet it still had, somehow.

She'd wanted to know everything about the specifics of his powers and how it had affected him, and others. How he had sealed them, and why. He'd explained how he'd waited until he had finally succeeded in preventing the eruption of the volcano, so that he could get the world out of the time loop that he had put it in, at last. That yes indeed, they'd been redoing their second year for years, and that she'd only perceived that as normal because of his mind control. She'd been speechless.

She'd deduced on her own that his glasses and limiters had been related to his powers somehow, with the timeline matching up. It hadn't taken her long to figure out his role in the shipwreck incident and the Okinawa school trip. And her own role as well, because in both cases she'd been the one to remove his control device. She must have realized that he'd actually been right there during her "lucid dream", after he'd saved her from the bear attack, but if that new fact had embarrassed her, she hadn't shown it.

Her initial shock response had been extreme, but short. This young lady had some seriously impressive recovery skills. She had loosened up and even cracked a couple of jokes at his magical misadventures. With her finally in a calmer state of mind, he was able to relax a bit as well.

This whole scene was just so peculiar. He'd never really exchanged more than a couple of words with Teruhashi, at most. He was always trying to avoid her, after all. Still, talking to her like this had felt strangely natural. It was like catching up with a life-long friend that he hadn't seen in a long time. Not that he had any idea what that was like, because he had no life-long friends. But it would probably feel like this, he reckoned. He must have used his voice more that night than he had in his entire life. His throat was sore from all the talking.

"So you could bend spoons?"

Saiki clicked his tongue. "That one's so overrated. But yes. I would usually tie them into bows." He played with the bouncy eyes on top of the snail. "I don't get the hype. It's awful for eating curry with. Bent spoons, I mean."

Teruhashi chuckled heartily. "Only you could find the downside of such an amazing power."

Saiki held still for a moment. "They all come with cons. Some may sound convenient, but I was still glad to be rid of them. It's a curse, not a blessing." His voice had started to sound hoarse. Damn throat. He coughed.

"Sorry, I meant no disrespect." She smiled at him warmly. "I can only imagine. It must have been alienating."

_Alienating?_

_How did she.. was it…?_

He must have looked at her funny, because she averted her gaze nervously. Her comment had just taken him by surprise. He'd never really thought of it like that.

_Alienating, huh._

"Um… I have one more question, if you don't mind." She looked uncomfortable. "Uh… it's not really any of my business, but… what happened with Aiura-san? The rumours are kinda wild."

_Ugh. I'd forgotten about that._

He groaned. "Nothing happened. She was drunk and tried to kiss me. I pulled away. People saw. That is all."

"Oh. Okay." She was twiddling her thumbs. "You didn't want to kiss her?"

He scoffed. "Uh, no." He folded his arms across his chest. Because it was getting chilly.

_Why is this of more interest to her than my being a psychic? I'll never understand girls._

"Really?" She sounded surprised.

"Never had the desire. Sorry to disappoint."

Teruhashi gave him a derisive smile. "You didn't think to blast her away when she tried?"

"…no. No, I did not." Teruhashi giggled as he rolled his eyes. "You're not going to hold this against me forever."

She smiled. "I just might."

_Tsk. I could checkmate her in the blink of an eye._

He considered saying it out loud, but he bit his tongue. He'd already embarrassed her enough. Besides, she could checkmate him just as easily, now that she knew. He frowned.

_Would she?_

He studied her. She'd moved from the coldness of the metal slide to one of the spring riders opposite him. A little unicorn, that she rode sidesaddle like some sort of noblewoman. It suited her. She was still smiling at him, although his gaze was starting to unsettle her. She'd taken his story really well. Maybe a little _too _well. It looked like she believed him. Did she intend to use it against him? It would fit her manipulative nature. Regrettably, he realized that if she didn't already have the upper hand before, then she definitely had it now.

"You do understand you can't tell anyone," he spoke, as firmly as he could with his failing voice. He looked her straight in the eye. He needed this to be crystal clear.

"Yes, of course," she gulped, looking away from his piercing stare. "Your secret is safe with me, Saiki-kun."

He watched her squirm for a couple more seconds. Then he nodded and got to his feet.

"It's getting late. We should probably get going."

Teruhashi checked her watch and yelped. "Oh man, my parents are going to kill me."

Saiki smirked. "Can't help you there anymore, sorry. Teleport would have saved you some time." On that note…

_Ugh. Should I?_

He didn't really want to.

_I probably should._

He sighed. "Come on," he muttered as he put his hands in his pockets and started walking towards the exit. Teruhashi quickly caught up to him. "Which way to your house from here?" he croaked. "Please don't say it's past Yumehara-san's place." He had no desire to run into anyone else tonight. Especially not with Teruhashi by his side.

"Eh?" She looked puzzled for a second, until she realized what he was doing. "…o-oh. No, it's the other way."

She shrugged into her coat as they started walking down the street. He should have brought his own. Then again, he hadn't counted on spending the night in a playground. How she wasn't freezing in that thin dress was beyond him.

"Thanks for walking me home," she said timidly. He just nodded.

_One assault on her is enough for one night._

"Um… so do you think they'll come back? Your powers."

He shrugged. "I doubt it. Something like this happened just after sealing them, too. I still think it's final, despite the weird occasional hiccup. It should be the last one."

_Please let it be._

"Oh… okay." Her tone was oozing disappointment.

"Didn't think you'd be so eager for my telepathy to return," he retorted drily. Boom, tomato. Hah.

"S-shut up, Saiki," she hissed. He kept staring ahead of him as a small but wry grin appeared on his face.

_We'll see about that upper hand._

* * *

They arrived at Teruhashi's house half an hour later. She had turned around to face him, her back to the front door. Saiki just stood in front of her, hands still in his pockets. Teruhashi was particularly fidgety. He looked past her, noticing the lights were still on inside. He also spotted something blue and frenzied from a window on the first floor.

_Ugh._

Teruhashi was fumbling with the zipper on her coat. "Um, t-thank you, Saiki-kun. For walking me home and being honest with me about your pow—"

"Shhh," he shushed, nodding his head in the direction of her raging brother upstairs. She glanced over her shoulder and cursed under her breath. How ladylike.

"Sorry. I should get inside before he gets any ideas into that stupid head of his." Saiki was pretty sure they were already in his head. And judging from her uneasiness, possibly in hers as well. He was just making sure that she got home safely. Geez.

Still, he gave her a whimsical smile. "Okay," he whispered. His voice was pretty much completely gone by now. She'd teased him about it on the way home, so he had to explain that he'd never really used his vocal cords to this extend before. He wasn't sure she'd believed him about him solely communicating through telepathy before.

Teruhashi looked up at him, returning his smile. Did she just light up the area? She was probably more capable of wizardry than him at this point, he thought, somewhat amused.

"I'll see you on Monday," she whispered in return.

He nodded at her. She spun around and floated inside, like a little wildflower being carried by a sweet summer breeze. How did she manage.

He glanced up at the upper floor window. Makoto was gone. Probably harassing his sister. Saiki turned around. He realized his entire body was tensed up. He exhaled deeply and tried to relax his shoulders as he started walking down the street. He was so ready to go home. He resolved not to speak for a year.

_What a weird night._


	5. On a Different Note

**Chapter 5 - On a Different Note**

* * *

What a pain in the neck. Saiki had felt apprehensive the entire Sunday following that damn party. How could two inconsequential high school girls give him so much grief?

He wasn't sure what he was dreading more: having to face Teruhashi after all that weirdness, or Aiura and the accompanying waves of gossip. Either way it was going to be awkward. Topping it all off, he still sounded like he had swallowed a cactus. Just another day in his disastrous life.

The only silver lining to be found, was the fact that his powers had not come back after that unexplainable incident. Still, it worried him. It had been bad enough that they had returned at all. But without having any control over them on top of that? That wasn't just inconvenient. It made him dangerous. As he had aptly shown by pulverizing poor Teruhashi.

Before all of this happened, he'd reckoned that the need for laying low had disappeared. It shouldn't really matter if he stood out or not, if he had no powers that were at risk of being exposed. He still didn't like it, but it had been nice not having to worry about attracting attention. Now he was not so sure. Was he really just a normal high school student? Or was there still some psychic power lingering in his veins?

Either way, he was about to attract some much unwanted attention, and he was looking forward to it even less than usual. That dreadful Monday had arrived, and Saiki was standing outside the door to his classroom. He had intentionally left home late so he wouldn't run into the guys on the way to school. He inhaled deeply, opened the door and stepped inside. The classroom went completely quiet at his entry.

_Good grief. It was just a stupid kiss, people. Grow up._

The second bell rang, indicating that class was starting. Saiki made a beeline for his desk and sat down. People started murmuring again.

Saiki noticed the desk next to him was empty. Did Teruhashi stay home? He'd have to face her at some point, but at least he didn't have to deal with her right now. Good. Now he could focus fully on Aiura and the foolish stunt she had pulled on hi—

Someone silently glided past him, just as the teacher came in. From the corner of his eye, he saw Teruhashi sit down in her seat without a sound. She must have been at Yumehara's desk in the back. He hadn't noticed her when he'd rushed to his spot just now, with his eyes to the floor.

_Of course. It did sound too good to be true._

He glanced at her. She was watching the teacher, seemingly paying him no attention. Odd. But convenient. Saiki sat back in his chair. Class was starting, so he could relax for a bit. For now.

* * *

Class had been rather uneventful, except for the attempts by Kaidou and Kuboyasu to get his attention. They had been swiftly ignored. It meant he had to act fast now though, before they got a chance to intercept him.

Saiki got up as soon as the bell rang and stepped over to Aiura's desk. He gave her a penetrating glare.

_Outside. Now._

He didn't care that he couldn't send telepathic messages anymore. He was not going to expose his frog voice in class. Seemed like she got the point anyway, because she was now following him. He heard some idiot whistle after them as they left the class room.

They walked up the stairs until they were at the roof top. Saiki turned around, folded his arms across his chest and continued giving her his foulest expression. Aiura scratched her head and grinned at him sheepishly.

"Oi, I'm sorry, aight?" she chirped. "Wasn't my intention to embarrass you. Sowwee~"

"What _was_ your intention?" he growled.

"Ahhh what happened to your voice, Kusuo?!" Aiura squealed. "Did you catch a cold? That's so cute! Haha~!" She clapped her hands in excitement. He just continued to glare at her.

"Oh come on, I was totally smashed. Don't think too much of it," she winked at him. "Maybe if you'd loosen up a bit, you'd actually enjoy a bit of the ol' smoocherooz yourself. Drink more next time~"

Ugh, no way he'd ever enjoy locking lips with anyone. Ew. The thought alone already disgusted him.

"There won't be a next time. Go hit on Toritsuka or something. Get all these people off my back." It was the least she could do.

"Ah, this thing will blow over before you know it. Don't worry about it." She grinned wickedly. "Imagine the outrage if it had been Teruhashi instead of me. Now you can hang with her without any questions. You're welcome." Her tone was way too suggestive.

_Teruhashi?_

"Why on earth would I do that?" he asked her suspiciously. Aiura rooting for Teruhashi made about as much sense as his powers returning.

_Does she know?_

"What did you see in that damn crystal ball of yours?" he demanded. "That party was an absolutely disaster. You're up to something."

"I'm not at liberty to say~," she said, stretching her arms with her hands clasped as she leaned against the rail on the side of the roof top. "Besides, wouldn't it be ironic to use my power on someone who can no longer wield them himself?"

_How is that ironic?_

"Have faith, Kusuo." Her tone had suddenly become soft and mellow. What in the hell was up with her? This was infuriating.

Saiki was just about to give it to her, but Aiura smiled at him meekly as she spun around and walked off, leaving him alone on the roof.

_Have faith. Now that's ironic._

* * *

The guys finally got a hold of him around lunch. Nendou had managed to sniff him out with his partner radar. They'd just sat down in the cafeteria to eat.

"Hey Saiki, where did you go last Saturday? We— uh— I-I saw what happened w-with um… w-with that k... k-ki..." Kaidou was bright red.

"I went home," Saiki cut him off. "I hope you had more fun with Yumehara-san that night than I did." Quite a successful redirection, if he'd say so himself. He didn't think Kaidou could get any more flustered, but he was wrong.

"You wouldn't know good fortune if it smacked you in the face, man," Kuboyasu laughed at Saiki. He ignored him. He got smacked in the face that night alright, and that had not been good fortune in any way, shape or form.

"O.. offu! Teruhashi-san!" the three muppets suddenly shouted. The blue-haired beauty was standing at their table. Saiki continued eating.

"Ah, hi guys," Teruhashi smiled at them, "can I pinch Saiki-kun from you for a moment?"

_I just can't catch a break today._

He got up and followed Teruhashi reluctantly, leaving the guys gawking behind him. Sigh. Without questions, right Aiura? Of course.

They went through the double doors of the cafeteria and found a quiet spot down the hallway. Saiki put his hands in his pockets and leaned with his back against the wall. She'd seemed pretty okay after their talk this weekend, but she'd also had some more time to think things over now. He wasn't sure what to expect here, so he was preparing for awkwardness.

"I'm sorry for pulling you aside like this," she started, looking at the floor, "but I just wanted to apologize for my brother. He shouldn't have come over and bother you."

_Oh, _that_? _

Makoto had shown up at his house yesterday, angry and obnoxious as usual. Saiki had just watched him with his best bored expression until he was done raving and left. It hadn't really been that big of a deal.

"It wasn't a big deal", he reiterated.

"Okay, well… I think you called me over with your telepathy last time, so..."

_She figured that out, huh._

"So uh, if he's pestering you again, I'd like you to call me. By phone, I mean. The way normal people do it." She smiled at him nervously. "Here, let me give you my number…"

"It's really not necessa-" Saiki started, but she had already whipped out her phone. He sighed internally and fumbled for his own. He'd never owned a cell phone before, but he figured it'd probably be good to get one now that his powers were gone. He hardly knew how to use it though.

She must have guessed, because she took his phone from him. "Here, let me punch it in for you." She added her number, then rang herself using his phone. "There you go," she said as she handed him his phone back.

Saiki was wondering if she really had just given him her number or if it was more the other way around. She might have had some ulterior motive here.

"Uh, thanks, I guess." He hoped he wouldn't regret this. Teruhashi took her leave with a quick nod. Apparently that was all she had to say.

_After a weekend of mulling things over, _this _is what bothers her? _

Saiki returned to his friends at the cafeteria. Of course he was immediately quizzed by them as to why he had been dragged away by none other than Teruhashi Kokomi.

So he just shrugged. "Homework."

* * *

That had concluded that dreadful Monday. Aiura had been right — the gossip had died down relatively quickly. He had still gotten some stares and laughs the first two days, but that had been all. Fast-forward a week and outwardly it seemed like things had returned to normal.

But they weren't normal. Teruhashi knew about him now, after all. There was no way things could be normal.

So why were they?

She'd just continued to be herself. As if it was the most normal thing in the world to be sitting next to an ex-psychic in class. Who'd seriously injured her recently. Who knew her most private thoughts.

This could have gone only one of two ways. Either it would have scared her off for good or she would start using this new information about him for her own agenda. He'd been so sure of it.

But she wasn't freaking out. She wasn't avoiding him. She also wasn't manipulating him. There hadn't been any blackmail. There hadn't even been any messages from her on his phone.

She was just the same. What was going on?

Did she ban it from her memory? Or worse, did he? Maybe he'd accidentally used his memory erasing power? It'd never taken away more than a minute before. Could he have wiped an entire evening from her mind? If so, when? She'd mentioned his telepathy on Monday. Did he erase it when their fingers brushed, the moment she took his phone? Didn't this power need a whack on the head anymore? It was all very unlikely, but then again, so were psychic powers in the first place.

Maybe she just didn't believe him and had decided to ignore what he had told her?

_Should I ask her?_

Saiki clicked his pen impatiently. He was seated at a table in the school library. Sitting opposite him was the troublesome girl that had been occupying his mind way too much as of late. He'd been paired with Teruhashi for a two-person class presentation, most likely due to her meddling. That had already been assigned before the events of the party though. She was deeply absorbed in some fat book on molecular biology at the moment.

"Are you trying to petrify me?" she asked casually, her eyes not leaving the page she was reading.

_Maybe not that deeply._

"Hm. It's not working," he replied monotonously.

Teruhashi looked up at him. "Sounds like you might have some regrets after all."

Saiki leaned back in his chair, studying her. So she hadn't forgotten. She was holding his gaze, with a smirk on her face. Then it hit him. Something _was_ different. She wasn't blushing and fretting like she usually would when he'd engage her like this. If anything, she'd engaged _him_ this time.

_What's going on?_

She was just being… _normal._ Saiki chewed on the back of his pen. She wasn't looking away from him. Her cheeks were just a healthy rosy color. Maybe she'd lost her interest in him after finding out who he really is? That would make sense. Why would anyone want to get involved with a possibly unstable ex-psychic who knew way too much?

"…no," he said slowly. "No regrets."

"Then stop staring and start helping." She smiled at him cheekily, then went back to her book.

_Tsk. _

He hadn't been staring.

* * *

His revelation had blown her mind.

Teruhashi had yo-yo'ed between believing and not believing him for a couple of days. She'd so desperately wanted to not believe him. The consequences would just be too much for her to bear. Surely he was just pulling her leg?

Unfortunately, deep down she'd known he was telling the truth. As the days crept by, she'd started remembering more and more weird incidents that only could be explained by Saiki interfering with his powers.

Believing him meant that she had to deal with this new reality, though.

She'd sank through the floor when he'd told her about his telepathy. He knew _everything_. At first she hadn't been sure how to face him, now that she knew that he knew. Not just about her feelings for him, but also about who she really was behind the perfect pretty girl front. He knew she wasn't perfect. Far from it. She still felt nauseous just thinking about it. No wonder he wasn't interested. It hurt, but there wasn't much she could do about it. Even if he wasn't interested in her romantically, he was still kind to her. When he wasn't trying to avoid her, anyway. It all made sense now. A painful lot of sense.

She hoped he still considered her a friend, and could remain one. For him, not much should have changed in their dynamic after all. He just wasn't able to hear her thoughts anymore, or see her naked. Heat rushed to her face. That was still really weird. But he'd seen everyone naked, so it didn't really matter, she presumed.

She wondered if his powers would ever return again. She understood that he didn't want them to. He had good reasons for it. But… how cool would it be? The thought of him wielding all these crazy powers was so exciting. She couldn't have been further from the truth when she'd called him plain before. This guy was truly magical.

She'd kept to herself for a couple of days to reflect on it all. It had set something unexpected in motion. Her embarrassment had somehow faded to the background. She'd realized that since Saiki was well aware of her infatuation anyway, there was no reason to be so nervous around him all the time. He knew anyway, right? She had nothing to hide. Besides, with this knowledge, he would surely let her know if he ever changed his mind. Until then, she could only assume that he hadn't.

It was actually quite liberating. The tension had completely vanished. Well, not _completely_, but close enough. It was still exhilarating to be around him. But she could just be herself now. She didn't even have to pretend to be perfect.

It felt like a weight off her shoulders, really.

Granted, it was still hard to concentrate when he was staring at her like he had been doing just now. She wasn't sure why he was observing her like that. As if he was drawing a portrait of her or something, studying her every detail. Like back when they'd had that assignment.

_Actually..._

"Hey, remember when we had to draw each other in art class?" Saiki was in the middle of noting something down. He stopped writing for a moment.

"Yes," he stated, then continued writing. Sometimes she did wonder if he was binary.

"Why didn't you draw anything? Couldn't you just have used your powers?" She was just curious, really.

He looked up at her. "It was because of my powers that I couldn't."

"Huh?"

"I could only draw you photographically accurate. It was far too lifelike. Art and gym were the worst classes for me, with regards to my powers actually being a hindrance."

"Ah…" That made sense. She'd always felt disappointed that he hadn't been able to draw her. "And now?"

"Now what?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"If you'd try now, how would it look?" Really, she was just curious.

"Uh…" he blinked. "Can't imagine it'd be good. I have zero artistic ability."

"You should try it!"

He scoffed. "Uh, no."

"Aww." No real surprise there. Ah well. Back to work.

She remembered she needed to look up a citation, so she got up to find the title. A little later she returned with the book. Of course someone had put it back in the wrong place, so it had taken her forever to find it. She'd made an effort not to rely on others to get it for her this time, too.

She found Saiki in the same spot she'd left him in. He was reading a book. Some sort of novel by the looks of it.

"Slacking off again?" she joked as she sat down. Although it wasn't really a joke. Why wasn't he working?

"It's done."

"You finished it already?" she asked, surprised. Partially because she hadn't been gone _that _long, and partially because he hadn't just gone home without a word instead. He nodded. She flicked through his notes that he had organized neatly in the middle of the table. It was all there. How?

_Wait, that's…_

"You drew me!" she exclaimed. People around the library glared at her angrily, only to have their expressions turn to goo once they realized it was her.

But more importantly — who would have thought? She found a tiny doodle tucked away in the corner of the bottom paper. A silly scribble of a little chibi with a halo and tiny wings. It was definitely crude in nature, but it still looked kinda cute.

Saiki looked annoyed, clicking his tongue. "No I did not. It's just a stupid angel." A pause. "I was just curious what I can actually do now. Not much, as expected."

"It's really not bad. You should draw more often."

"Duly noted," he replied, sarcastically.

He could say what he wanted — that was her. Why else would he draw an angel? She picked up his pen and scribbled a little chibi next to it. She didn't even realize she'd added glasses and antennae until she was done. It was just so characteristic of him.

He glanced at the note. "I didn't know Satan had glasses," he remarked drily.

She smiled. They did sort of look like horns. "A sketchy angel and a disguised devil," she noted absent-mindedly, chewing on the back of the pen she was holding. Then she remembered it wasn't her pen. "Whoops, sorry," she mumbled as she put the pen down. "Shall we figure out who'll do what for the presentation?" she asked. "I don't mind doing the majority, since you did pretty much the rest just now. Somehow." She was still perplexed. Wasn't he just average in academics?

Saiki shrugged. "If you want. There's some pretty complex stuff in there though."

She smiled at him. "I don't mind a challenge. I'll have the class enchanted in no time anyway. They'll lap up anything I say."

"…including the teacher." She wasn't sure if that was a question or a statement.

"Of course. You know it's true," she grinned. It was weird to mock herself like this. Yet it felt strangely natural to be so open about it now. "Whereas you might put them to sleep if you're not careful. Don't worry, I'll carry you," she jested.

"I don't need carrying."

She feared she might have offended him, but then he had delivered the message so matter-of-factly. Like he really was just stating an absolute assertion. With all these powers, it was indeed hard to believe that he had ever relied on anyone else before. She wondered how that must be for him now.

"Sorry," she smiled at him, "I know." He was watching her with that blank expression again. This guy was impossible to read. She shuffled the papers on the table. She wasn't completely immune to his gaze yet, she realized. Saiki bowed his head, going back to his book. Did she spot a smile there?

_Hm. Must have imagined it._

* * *

"For our Biology assignment, we've looked into the details of epigenetics," Saiki started.

Teruhashi was watching him as he kicked off their class presentation. They'd decided that he would do the introduction and after that she would take over. She wondered if she should have just done the full thing. All eyes were on her anyway, and she was just standing off to the side. It didn't seem to bother him though.

"Thank you, Saiki-kun", she said when it was her turn to speak. Next up was some difficult material, but she'd studied well, making sure she really understood. She couldn't let him down after that boast after all. She had even made some cue cards for herself. Her confidence meter was full.

As expected, she was doing great. The class was hanging on her every word. She smoothly continued onto the next part of their presentation. This bit had tripped her up a couple of times during rehearsal at home, so she flicked to the relevant cue card for a quick gander.

…_Nendou?_

Somehow, a little sketch of a face with a massive cleft chin and an awful hairstyle had found its way onto her card. It had a speech balloon saying_ "Oh? Ramen?"_ next to it.

"…u-uh…" She glanced at Saiki, who was watching her from the side.

_Did he…? _

He was looking as stoic as ever though.

Teruhashi's gaze went back to the doodle again. It looked ridiculous. It was a challenge not to burst out laughing. Clearing her throat saved her there. Right. The show must go on, so on it went. After an initial stutter or two, she got back into her flow and continued onto the next part. Then she realized that another of her cue cards had been vandalized. It was a mess, with loads of wicked looking symbols, almost cultish, and something about Dark Reunion and that the end was nigh…?

It didn't take her long to understand that there were silly doodles on _all_ of her remaining notes. Someone was definitely trying to pull a prank on her here. She assumed Saiki's friends had somehow got a hold of her cards this morning and had gone wild. It was no easy task to keep a straight face, but she would not admit defeat. She had successfully made it to the last slide of their presentation unscathed.

"Alright, that concludes our presentation," she beamed. "Are there any ques…"

She'd made the mistake of glancing down at the last card. It really did not need to be in there, because it just said _"Questions?" _which she knew to ask at the end anyway.

Underneath the question about questions, two little chibis had been drawn. A little angel and a little devil. The devil was wearing glasses. They were sitting on a swing.

_Questions…_

There was only one person who could have done this.

The teacher might have asked her something at that point. She had no idea what he had asked, or what she should answer. She was dumbstruck.

_Wait, is Saiki talking?_

She hadn't even noticed that he'd moved next to her. Apparently he was answering the questions now.

* * *

_Maybe that one was a bit much._

"What the hell, Saiki?" she hissed under her breath after they'd returned to their seats.

He shrugged. "You told me I should draw more."

"Not on my cue cards!"

"Oh," he said with a smug smile, "oops."

He had scribbled some stupid things onto her cards to see if he could catch her off guard. If Teruhashi thought she could crack jokes at him now, well, so could he. She'd become very comfortable with him over the course of the past two weeks. Nothing he did seemed to unsettle her anymore. Not that he missed that. It was just an observation.

And a little bit of a challenge as well, perhaps. Which he had decided to accept.

Overall, he had been very impressed though. Teruhashi truly had amazing recovery. Even in front of such a crowd. He might have to up his game.

"Did you really want us to fail this so badly?" Her scowl could not hide her smile.

Saiki didn't answer. He'd been ready to cover for her at any moment, anyway.

* * *

Teruhashi unlocked her bedroom door. She had found her brother in there a couple of times doing God knows what, so she'd started locking it. He hadn't been happy about that. Well, tough.

She quickly changed out of her school uniform into something more comfortable and sat down at her desk. There was some homework left to do for tomorrow, so best get that over with. They'd made a last-minute plan to do it together — that meant Saiki and his friends, as well as her and Yumehara — like they had started doing more often recently. Saiki had left school without a word though, as he still did at times. So Teruhashi had gone home as well.

She put her school bag on her lap, digging out the books that she needed.

_Hang on, what's…?_

She pulled out a little note. That hadn't been in there before. Opening it up, she realized it was another doodle. A devil with glasses was smiling up at her, doing a thumbs up. Next to it, _"good job"_ was written.

She was flabbergasted.

_Did Saiki Kusuo just give me a like?_


	6. Serendipity

**Chapter 6 – Serendipity**

* * *

"She looks so pretty today, Ku-chan!"

_Does she need to mention that every time she's here? Good grief._

Saiki was in the kitchen with his mother. The troublesome bunch that he still somewhat reluctantly called his friends had invited themselves over to do homework. In reality it meant that he and Teruhashi did the homework and the rest copied it. That was usually the case even for Yumehara, who was often too busy engaging Kaidou's attention to get any work done.

It'd become quite a familiar sight recently, to see them gathered here like this. Sometimes in the living room, like right now, and sometimes in his bedroom. Sometimes to do homework, and sometimes just because they could. Or thought they could, anyway. He quietly mourned the loss of his one sanctuary — his home. There was a creepy resemblance to one of the alternate realities he had encountered back when he was trying to change Touma Akechi's timeline. Saiki shuddered. There had been so much wrong with that picture.

Fortunately the summer holidays were coming up in a couple of weeks, so he'd finally have some time to himself again. He was looking forward to it.

First he had to get his mother off his back though.

"Who cares. I'd treat her the same if she'd looked like Nendou," Saiki responded gruffly as he put a bunch of tea cups on a tray. Although he would admit that he was glad that she didn't.

He was not going to admit that his mother was right, though. About her looking pretty today.

Saiki wasn't sure why. She just did. They were still in their school uniforms, so they looked the same as always. Must be an after-effect of the loss of his x-ray vision. Who knew it would still catch him off guard not to see just muscles and bones three months down the line.

For some reason Teruhashi was shining just a little bit brighter than usual today.

"I know, Ku-chan," his mother smiled as she poured tea into the cups, "I'm just so happy for you." She was so bubbly today.

Saiki decided to ignore the insinuation. "The girls are just tagging along more now because Yumehara-san is into Kaidou," he explained with a flat voice. "Kaidou is clueless though."

His mother let out a hearty chuckle. "Kaidou-kun is not the only clueless one."

Saiki huffed as he picked up the tray and made for the door to the living room.

"Shut up."

* * *

His mother might think him clueless, but he knew better. He understood it might be easy to misinterpret for an outsider. Saiki knew exactly what was going on though.

There had been a change in their dynamic after Teruhashi had found out about him. She'd lost that silly crush on him, which had allowed for a special kind of friendship to blossom. One that people might misunderstand, because boy and girl, right. Right.

They had no idea.

After that biology assignment, they'd started exchanging notes in class. Just something to pass the time. Sometimes it was an attempt to get her to chortle out loud in class when it was totally quiet and inappropriate. She would try to return the dubious favor, of course, but his poker face was unmatched. Hers wasn't far off, though.

He'd actually become pretty good at doodling now. It was hilarious to see what she came up with, too. Who knew they shared that lame, dry sense of humor?

Maybe that party hadn't been so disastrous after all.

His powers hadn't returned anymore either. They were really gone now. Saiki Kusuo was the most average, run-of-the-mill, boring high schooler on the planet. It was wonderful.

She'd laughed at him when he'd told her that. Said he was anything but. Well, she was wrong. He relished his normality. Something that was probably a little hard for her to understand.

Despite that, Saiki'd come to realize that Teruhashi was actually pretty fun to be around. When she wasn't trying act like little Miss Perfect, anyway. Which, come to think of it, she didn't seem to do quite as much anymore. Not around him, at least. He'd also learned a couple of new things about her that his telepathy had never picked up before. Such as the things that she liked and disliked. She'd actually recommended the book series that he was reading now. It was pretty good. He did suspect her to have started reading certain titles because she'd seen them on his book shelf. But hey, can't help good taste, right?

Speaking of which, her taste in manga was terrible. Maybe she was genetically predisposed to like awful shoujo stuff. He was making her see the error of her ways, though. She was getting there. Slowly.

Saiki already knew that she liked cooking. Her idiot brother had told him once. Saiki had, however, been unaware of her divine baking skills until recently. She would bring some of her little experiments to school occasionally. He was a willing volunteer, naturally. It was the reason he was at her place today. That and maths homework. Of course.

"Alright, that'll need to sit in the oven for about 45 minutes," Teruhashi said as she took off the terrifying dog apron Makoto had gotten her for her birthday.

"I can't believe you're actually using that thing." Saiki nodded at the apron. "Also you got some flour on your face."

"Oh geez," she laughed, wiping her cheek.

"You just made it worse." How could she be so elegant and yet be such a klutz at the same time?

Teruhashi sighed in exasperation. "Let me just go get cleaned up. Please sit down, I'll be right back."

Saiki sat down at the table in the living room. He was holding the cup of tea she'd given him. It was the same dog mug that he had switched for the ghastly blue tankard that Makoto had picked for her birthday. Saiki smirked. He could tell her about that. He decided against it though.

He took a sip as he looked around the room. It was a little weird, being alone here with her. Usually there would be either family or friends buzzing around, and often both. Teruhashi had mentioned she couldn't get her head around the probability exercises for tomorrow's maths class, so he had offered to help. In exchange for cake. It had been a joke, but she'd actually agreed. Fine with him.

"Right! Let's get to it," Teruhashi said as she entered the room. She'd changed from her school uniform into an airy, flowery summer dress. It was July after all. And hot. Suddenly he felt really hot.

_Must be the tea._

He cleared his throat. "Right," he said, eyes fixated on the dog mug, "what did you need help with again?"

"Cute cup, right?" she smiled. "My brother got it for me. Um, let me get my stuff…" She grabbed her school bag and sat down next to him. "Will I find any notes in here today?" she glanced at him as she took her books out with a smile.

"No idea what you're talking about," he replied apathetically. She laughed.

"Okay. So I'm usually okay with maths, but I just seem to be lacking the probability gene or something," she admitted as she opened the book. "Like these examples with marbles of different colors. I just don't follow."

Saiki nodded. "Alright." He thought for a moment, trying to find a different way to explain this.

_Heh._

"Okay," he started, "say you've got a hundred men. What is the chance any of the men in the crowd will say _offu_ when you walk past?"

Teruhashi laughed, beaming. "Why, 100%, of course."

Saiki continued. "Right. Say now a guy with pink hair, green glasses and weird hair pins joins the crowd. If you'd pick out one of these guys at random, what's the chance they'll say _offu_?"

Teruhashi looked a bit taken aback for a second there. They'd never really spoken about the things that he had picked up with his telepathy before. Not the awkward ones, anyway. Like her quest to make him say something he would never, ever say.

She recovered within the blink of an eye, as expected. Her grin returned. "Still 100%."

Saiki rolled his eyes. "Don't flatter yourself. Your chance will go down." He wrote out the calculation. "See?"

Teruhashi viewed his writing pensively. "Maybe it would depend on what I'm wearing."

Saiki gave her his most unimpressed expression. "That's totally irrelevant to this exercise." He cleared his throat. Again. "Okay, now conditional probability gets a bit more complicated. It's where you calculate the probability of two events both occurring."

Teruhashi furrowed her brow. "Like, the chance of any random guy having pink hair _and_ saying _offu_?"

Saiki's eyebrow twitched. "That would be a probability of 0%. But, taking out the guy with pink hair as a first draw would affect the _offu_ probability of a second draw. That'd be an example of two dependent events."

Teruhashi sighed. "See, I'm no good with this." She glanced at him. "It's also not fair if they know they're expected to say it. That must affect the probability. If they're stubborn."

Saiki focused his gaze on the book in front of them. Suddenly things felt weird. "It probably does," he muttered. An awkward silence followed.

"Um… let's do some exercises," Teruhashi smiled at him, breaking the silence. He nodded.

_Yes, let'__s._

He made a mental note not to mention anything regarding these old, now irrelevant, troublesome thoughts ever again.

* * *

Life had always treated Teruhashi Kokomi very kindly. Lady Luck was always on her side. Had she been a game, it would be on permanent easy-mode.

And she wasn't complaining, really. She hadn't been this happy in a long time. She was in good health, did well in school, had great friends. _Actual_ friends, that weren't after her for their own benefit, or her looks. Or both.

She'd grown closer to Saiki than she could have ever imagined. She loved what she had found under that shell of indifference. Still waters did run deep.

His magic seemed no more than a distant memory of the past at this point. Certainly his powers had defined who he was today, though. The most powerful man in the world had turned out to be a humble no-nonsense high school student. He truly was other-worldly for not having abused his powers for his personal gain. Well, not much. She'd taken his words with a grain of salt there. Either way, he had saved the world several times. He was a hero, and hardly anyone even knew it. He did not care for that, either.

Teruhashi sighed. Saiki Kusuo truly was a remarkable guy. She realized that more and more every passing day. She felt blessed with his friendship.

Really, she was in the best place she could be. Probably. Just… something was obviously missing. Today it just happened to be missing a bit more literally than usual.

Teruhashi observed the empty desk next to her.

_Where is Saiki?_

"Oh? Partner is sick? Oh?" Nendou's desk was in front of Saiki's, so he had turned around to face her.

Teruhashi shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"Maybe the Dark Reunion took him," Kaidou piped in from behind her. "They have recently found out he wields great powers, so they have been attempting to leech them off my most faithful sergeant."

_Bit late for that_, Teruhashi thought in amusement. If only he knew.

"Ohh, I think he's just stuck to the shitter, probably. That ramen yesterday didn't go down so swell for me either." Charming as ever, Nendou was. Kaidou started scolding Nendou for his use of language in front of a lady. She didn't really care, honestly.

Class was starting. Seemed like Saiki really wasn't coming. Where was he?

_I could just ask him._

She took her cell phone from her bag and held it under her desk. Not even her charms could keep Matsuzaki-sensei from confiscating it if he noticed her using it in class.

"_Hi. Where are you?" _she typed quickly. Her thumb hovered over the send button. She'd never sent him a text before. Should she sign off with a closing? Or her name? Obviously she couldn't exactly write down "_-xxx- Kokomi"_. _"Kind regards" _was way too formal, though.

_Why is this so hard? It's just a stupid text._

Screw it. She pressed send.

* * *

Saiki didn't respond to her until lunch time.

"_I regret to inform you that I have been struck by a deadly illness._  
_If I leave this earth today, it was nice knowing you."_

Her heart really shouldn't have skipped a beat at that. But it did. Was there a hidden meaning in there?

_It's Saiki. Of course there isn't._

She drove herself insane sometimes.

"_Do you have the flu? Get well soon. :3" _she typed as a reply. A cute cat face should be fair game, she reckoned. And she really did hope he'd get well soon, because it was pretty damn boring without him here.

She waited for a response. And waited. Nothing came through. Was the cute cat face too much?

* * *

She still hadn't gotten a response from him by the end of the school day. By now Teruhashi was convinced he never wanted to see her again. Why did she have to ruin the good thing they had? She wanted to tear her hair out.

"Could anyone take this handout to Saiki-kun?" the teacher asked at the end of class. "Kaidou-kun perha—"

"I'll take it!" Teruhashi shouted, way too eagerly. "I-I mean, I need to be in the area anyway," she smiled nervously as she reached for the papers. Kuboyasu was eyeing her suspiciously. She apologized internally to Saiki. He would probably be getting some questions.

Armed with his handout and a rock solid reason to go and visit, she set off to Saiki's home.

* * *

"Ku-chan~? You have a visitor," his mother announced cheerily. Saiki Kurumi had been so happy to find her at their doorstep. Teruhashi peeked around Saiki's bedroom door. He was in bed.

"Hi, Saiki-kun," she said softly as she stepped in. Something groaned under the sheets. She chuckled, instantly forgetting her worries from earlier. "Sorry if I woke you."

Glazed, violet eyes squinted up at her. His face was pale, his hair a mess. He propped himself against his pillow, or made an attempt to, anyway. The look of him in baby blue pyjamas should really _not_ be appealing to her, but somehow it was.

_He looks adorable._

"Hi," he rasped.

She pulled over his desk chair and sat down in it. "How are you?"

"How do you think I am?" he moaned, leaning back in his pillow.

"Looks like a pretty severe case of man flu to me," she grinned. He scoffed, loudly. Followed by a cough.

"It's not the flu. It's something much worse. I feel like I'm dying," he protested.

"Hm. Sounds like my brother when he's coming down with a cold."

"Shut up."

She giggled. "At least you have the excuse of never having been sick before. It must be a rude awakening." She recalled him telling her that he'd used to burn away any nasty germs with his pyrokinesis before so that they never actually got a chance to give him any symptoms.

"Ugh. I don't know how people manage," he grumbled.

"I think you do. With lots of rest. That's why you dragged my brother away when I was ill."

_Yes, I remember._

Saiki looked at her like she'd just caught him stealing a cookie. Her heart thudded in her chest. He looked so cute.

"So um, I should really get going," she smiled timidly. Looking away from him, her eyes wandered to the buzzing phone on his bedside cabinet. It was blinking. "I think you got a new message," she said as she got up.

He glanced at his phone. "Oh, right. I fell asleep after your message, so I haven't checked since," he said with a yawn, which then turned into a coughing fit. Maybe it was a bit more serious than just the man flu.

Teruhashi smiled to herself, realizing she had worried for no reason. Then she remembered.

"Oh right, before I forget. I um… was asked to deliver these to you." Saiki grumbled something inaudible as he lay back down. Teruhashi pulled his handout out of her bag and put it on his desk.

_Hang on, where's…_

She dug around in her bag and found what she was looking for. She glanced over at Saiki. He'd already closed his eyes. She pulled out the sticky note and put it on top of the papers. It had a little angel on it, holding some flowers. _"Get well soon"_ it said. Teruhashi grabbed a pen from his desk and quickly jotted something else down.

"_We miss you"_

It seemed like he was already back to sleep, so she tiptoed out and softly closed the door behind her.

She must have floated home that day.

.

* * *

_Why am I doing this?_

Teruhashi was staring down at her school desk. The teacher was rambling on and on about supply and demand and other economy nonsense she really couldn't care less about. Right now she was preoccupied with the note in front of her.

She'd drawn an angel and a devil with glasses. And an item in-between them. With a question mark. She'd spent all night on it yesterday, perfecting it.

_Maybe I shouldn't._

Sometimes she wondered why she still bothered. They were just friends. Good friends, sure. But he _knew. _He _knew_ and he hadn't made any moves. He wasn't interested in anything else. Anything _more_.

Her demand would probably never be met, for lack of supply.

So why was she doing this?

_I guess I just can't help myself._

Either that or she just sucked at economy. Maybe she should be paying more attention.

She folded up the note. "Pssst," she whispered to attract her neighbor's attention. Saiki glanced at her and took her note when the teacher wasn't looking. They were well versed in this by now.

Her heart was beating out of her chest.

Saiki opened the note and studied it. His facial expression didn't change, but that wasn't exactly unusual for him. He quickly wrote something on the note and passed it back to her. That was really fast. She opened it with trembling hands.

"_I'm not sharing a robo-bug with you."_

She blinked. Robo-wha…?

She grabbed her pen and wrote a quick response.

"_It's coffee jelly, idiot. Café Mami'__s.__"_

Robo-bug, _really_? She'd practised all night sketching that stupid dessert for him. She was nearly too irritated to be nervous when she passed the note back to him. Maybe she should have just asked him if he'd wanted to go sometime. It wasn't such a big deal anyway. Just two friends enjoying a coffee after school.

Saiki unfolded the note. She was watching him closely. He stared at it for a while, not glancing at her at all like he usually would. He finally grabbed his pen, hovering over the note for a while. She didn't exactly need an appraisal of her art. Seriously. His face was as blank as ever.

_Why is he taking so long?_

At last he wrote something down. Slowly. He took the note and folded it… and folded it again… and again. As small as he could. He was holding it in his hand now, waiting for the teacher to look away presumably. He'd already had like 10 chances to pass it back to her, though.

_Is he trying to kill me? This is _not_ funny._

Finally he passed the note back to her. Teruhashi unfolded it, heart in her throat. Under her last message she found just two letters.

"_Ok"_

She glanced to her side. Saiki was watching the teacher. She felt giddy. Ecstatic. Relieved. But she also really wanted to wipe that smug smile off his face.

Teruhashi tore a sheet off of her notepad and penned something down quickly. She crumpled it up and threw it onto his desk. He was looking at her questioningly as he took it and opened it. She returned his gaze with a scowl. Then he laughed out loud as soon as he read it. The entire class was looking at him now.

_Hah._

Well, he had been an _"Asshole"._


	7. Breaking Free

**Chapter 7 - Breaking Free**

* * *

There was no denying it anymore. Saiki had come to terms with it. He couldn't control himself any longer.

He wanted her.

_She's gorgeous. Irresistible. Ravishing. A sight for sore eyes._

He was sitting in the window booth at Café Mami. In front of him was the delectable dessert that he was having a special moment with.

He admired the beauty that was his first coffee jelly of the week for one more second before diving in.

_This is what divinity tastes like._

He closed his eyes, letting the flavors dance around his palate. Good grief, this stuff was heavenly. He may have heard angels singing.

He opened one eye, half expecting a snide remark concerning the hilarity of his face from across the table. Today it remained silent though. He was alone, after all.

Teruhashi was at home, studying for upcoming exams.

Saiki had offered to study together, but she'd said that he would be too distracting for her. Saiki had been baffled. How was _he_ distracting? He never talked? He might as well be invisible. Powers or not. It made no sense. But ah well, she'd insisted. Whatever.

He took a scoop of jelly and suckled on it pensively. It'd been a while since he had sat here alone. Teruhashi had come along with him a couple of times, going for the home-made gelato instead. They'd added it to the menu here recently. It wasn't a bad choice, really. She'd let him have a taste. It'd been delicious. Nothing quite beat the coffee jelly though. Obviously.

At least he finally had some time to himself. Much to his dislike, their hanging out had not gone unnoticed by Teruhashi's ludicrous fan club. Today he could at least enjoy his favorite dessert in peace, without Kokomin eyes boring into his back.

_And yet it is surprisingly dull, somehow._

They were in their last week of school before the summer holidays. Exams would start tomorrow. Saiki wasn't too worried. He'd done — and passed — tests since he'd lost his powers. It was still in his system to aim for an average score, though. Even without telepathy and x-ray vision to help him achieve that. It was just what he did.

He found himself wondering why.

_What's the benefit of scoring average in school for me now?_

Less hassle, obviously. He got by just fine with just doing his homework and paying a moderate amount of attention in class. Scoring high had never yielded any benefits before. He wasn't so sure about that anymore.

What were his future plans? His mind was brought back to the end of their second year, when they'd had to fill out a future plans questionnaire. He'd gone for the most average of average options, of course. He'd always focused on staying under the radar. Anything mundane would have done. He'd also been preoccupied with getting the world out of the time loop he had put it in. However, now that he had scratched two things off his bucket list — stopping a volcano and becoming normal — he should consider the new possibilities that had opened up for him. So here he was. What was next?

_What are Teruhashi's plans?_

She'd copied his answers from his questionnaire back then, he recalled with a smile. But that was back then. Things were different now. Him utterly powerless. Her knowing about him. And them friends.

He should ask her what her plans were. Her real plans. Perhaps they could shoot for the same college. That might be fun. He'd probably need better grades for it though.

Maybe he should actually make an effort.

_Might as well give it a shot._

Why the hell not. He would. Well… after this coffee jelly.

Saiki watched the people walk by through the window as he took another bite. A young couple was being lovey-dovey across the street. Hugging, kissing, holding hands. They reminded him of his parents.

_Some things I will never understand._

Then he noticed the girl had long, flowing, navy hair. She reminded him of someone else.

_Hmm._

She wasn't as dazzling though. Then again, who was.

Saiki took another scoop, feeling the last of the jelly melt in his mouth. The guy across the street had taken something out of his pocket. A gift? The girl hugged him — again — and opened it. Then hugged him. Again. Geez. Oh, it was a necklace. The guy helped her put it on.

…_hmm._

Saiki put the spoon back in the cup and left some money on the table. It was time to go home and study. That had been a rather inspiring visit. Yet he couldn't help but see the irony. Finally he'd had some time to himself and yet she'd still been on his mind constantly. Like so often, lately.

It had been a small, gradual change, but it had not gone unnoticed by him. It did seem a little peculiar how these things apparently change when a friendship deepens. He'd never really had a friend like this before, so he didn't really know. It had never been an option in the past, with his powers.

Or something that he'd actually desired.

* * *

"So what are your plans for the holidays?" Kuboyasu asked no one in particular.

The boys were walking to school. Saiki kept quiet. Any wrong move and they would be camping over at his home for weeks, if he wasn't careful.

"Oh, I was gonna crash at partner's place all month," Nendou boomed.

_Is he a psychic?_

"I wanna go see that new Mugami movie," Kaidou replied, "but as the Jet Black Wings, there is no such thing as being relieved from duty—"

"Oh, you should take Yumehara-san!" Kuboyasu butted in. "It's about time you two went on a date."

Kaidou's face blew up. "W-wh-whaa- n-n-no—"

"It's perfect! Don't be a pussy, dude." Kuboyasu winked. "In fact, bring Saiki and Teruhashi-san. Make it a double date."

Saiki clenched his jaw and picked up the pace.

_Absolutely not._

The idea was so ridiculous that it wasn't even worth a response.

"Hang on a second, lover boy," Kuboyasu tried to stop him by grabbing his shoulder. Saiki pulled away.

"I'm not doing it," Saiki bit back, with a little more emotion than he had intended. Kaidou was still yammering like a broken robot in the background.

"Come on man, help a brother out," Kuboyasu laughed. "Just look at him. He's hopeless. Besides, you could use a nudge yourself." Saiki glared at him.

_No nudges necessary. We're good._

Kuboyasu grinned at him. "Don't think we haven't noticed."

Nendou tilted his head. "Oh? Noticed what?"

Saiki clutched the strap of his schoolbag in pure irritation. The idea of going on a date with her was outrageous. They were friends. Nothing more, nothing less. It would probably cause uneasiness with Teruhashi, now that she wasn't interested in him in that way anymore. He didn't want to put her in that position.

He was holding this off for her sake as much as his own.

Meanwhile, Nendou poked a sizzling Kaidou in the temple. "Oh, I think he's broken, guys."

Kuboyasu thought for a moment. "Okay, how about this. We'll decide the way real men do – with a game of rock-paper-scissors!" He laughed, holding up a fist. "If I win, you will join Shun and Yumehara-san with Teruhashi-san."

Saiki clicked his tongue in annoyance. He'd never lost a bet before. He'd had a slight advantage back then, though. "And if I win?"

"Uh... you'll get the tickets' value worth in coffee jelly." Kuboyasu gave him a thumbs up. "And we'll leave you alone during the holidays."

Sweets and solitude. Did they really think he was that shallow?

* * *

"We're going to the movies," Saiki huffed at her.

"Huh?" Teruhashi froze in the middle of putting her books away in her locker. She'd been asked out plenty of times before. Never had it actually sounded like an order though. And never by Saiki. He was standing next to her, arms folded across his chest, with a mix of frustration and something else on his face.

_Is he embarrassed?_

"With Kaidou and Yumehara-san. Because they're too chicken to go alone."

The surprises just kept piling up today. " Eh? Like a double d-"

"Like babysitters," he interrupted.

"A-ah… okay…?" She wasn't really sure if she was even offered a choice here.

Finally his eyes softened. "…sorry. I lost a bet." He sighed, unfolding his arms. "I didn't think it was possible," he muttered under his breath.

_A bet? What am I, a gambling chip?_

And yet she did not mind at all. She wasn't really sure how he'd gotten himself into this, but he was obviously very unhappy about it. He leaned with his back against the lockers as if defeated by a force larger than himself. He looked deflated.

"Um, you don't have to go, you know? If you don't want to…" She would love to go with him, obviously, but not against his will. "I-I mean, I don't mind, but…" she added as an afterthought. She was feeling bold today.

Saiki looked up at her, puzzled. "You don't?"

Now she was puzzled that he was puzzled. "Uh… no?" She pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. He was still looking at her funny. "…should I?"

He hesitated for a moment. "I just thought it would make you uncomfortable. The idea of us being on a…" He couldn't even say the word. "Y'know, because you um…" he trailed off, only meeting her eye for a brief second before looking away.

_Because I have feelings for him that he can't reciprocate._

"I just thought it'd be awkward," he confessed quietly.

It was kind of sweet of him, really. She understood he was just trying to be considerate here. She rearranged the books in her locker that really did not need arranging. Breaking out of the friend zone had proven to be impossible. She'd resolved to accept what they were and move on. It should be easier with the upcoming holidays, because she wouldn't see him so much then.

"Awkward with Kaidou and Yumehara-san around, anyway," Saiki continued when she didn't respond. "Blowing everything out of proportion," he scoffed. He just kept talking today. If she didn't know him any better, she'd think he was nervous. She didn't think it was possible for Saiki Kusuo to feel nerves, though.

He pushed himself off the lockers that he was leaning against and turned toward her. "Honestly I'd prefer to go just with you. Then it wouldn't be so weird."

She could only stare at him in bewilderment.

_What the- how not? Huh? Did he-_

Was this guy from another planet? What difference did it make if they were alone? It made no sense. Wouldn't that just make it more awkward? She focused her eyes back on the locker, closing it slowly.

_Did he just invite me to a movie with just the two of us?_

She was so confused right now.

He was watching her, waiting for a response. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. She really didn't know what to say.

Saiki put his hands in his pockets. "Uh… say something." He did look a bit anxious. And annoyed.

"Um… you're rambling," she said with a thin smile. He glowered at her, which made her chuckle.

"I don't ramble."

"Uh-huh," she teased. "Um, we can go together, sometime. If you want," she added, as casually as she could muster.

"If we survive this hell with Kaidou and Yumehara-san first," he grumbled.

She smiled. "It doesn't have to be a movie, y'know? We could go somewhere else with them. Something more active, maybe. Then it shouldn't feel so forced." She turned toward him. "I'll think of something. Don't worry."

He watched her for a moment, then nodded and stepped away just as the bell rang. Right, their exams were about to start. A tiny, somewhat mocking smile had tucked into the corner of his mouth.

"Good luck with maths," he said before he went on his way. He had helped her with that, after all, and she'd studied hard to make sure she would nail it now.

But that was before he'd dropped that date bomb on her.

* * *

When Kuboyasu had countered Saiki's paper with scissors earlier that week, Saiki had wanted nothing more than to escape. Turned out that was exactly what he was about to do.

_Well, hopefully._

He was standing outside some sort of warehouse. Exams were over, summer holidays had just started. Teruhashi would be off for two weeks with her family soon, so they'd managed to squeeze this ridiculous double date in just before she'd leave. Kaidou and Yumehara had just arrived as well. Saiki had intended to arrive later than the rest so he wouldn't have to wait for, or even worse, _with_ the others — it was bound to be awkward. But it appeared he had not been the only one with that idea, because he'd actually arrived first. Sigh.

They were just waiting for Teruhashi now. It had been her idea to go to an escape room instead of the cinema.

He'd never heard of it before. Apparently you get locked up in a room with 60 minutes to get out. He didn't really see the appeal. Nothing or no one had ever held him captive before, so he supposed he just didn't understand the rush of escaping. Teruhashi had insisted it was really fun, though. And not as awkward as seeing a romantic movie together. Saiki eyed the old, worn down building. Indeed, not much romance to be found here.

"Ahhhh I'm so excited…" Yumehara started. "I wonder if we'll make it in time?"

"You know my methods, Watson." Kaidou had donned a Sherlock Holmes outfit and was chewing his pipe vigorously. Apparently this place had a Scotland Yard theme. It looked like roleplaying kept his nerves at bay somewhat.

_Stay strong, my friend. We got this._

"Ah, hey guys! Hope you weren't waiting for too long," he heard a familiar voice behind him. Saiki turned around to face her.

_Oh._

He hadn't expected that. Thinking back, she'd told him to wear something comfortable because they might have to duck or crawl. He'd just grabbed the usual from his wardrobe. If it wasn't comfortable, then why wear it? He realized it might have been more of a note to herself now. Teruhashi was wearing a snug pastel yellow top and blue jeans. Saiki wasn't sure if he'd ever seen her wear any sort of trousers before. She was always in a skirt or dress.

He liked this look, though. It looked good on her.

"Let's get going once Saiki-kun is done staring~!" Yumehara giggled. He immediately averted his eyes so he could shoot daggers at her instead.

"Oh hush," Teruhashi laughed as she joined their group. "Let's go!" She glanced at him with a smile. He found himself returning it.

_Let's get this nonsense over with._

* * *

"Good luck!" the Game Master shouted as he shut the door behind them with a loud bang.

Saiki looked around the room. It was unexpectedly atmospheric. From the outside, it had looked like a generic warehouse space. But once they'd stepped through that door, they'd found themselves at an English train station in the early 1900s. Well, a small one. The room was a bit crammed. The props were pretty damn cool, though. In the background he heard the sound of steam trains and suspenseful ambient music playing.

Above them, a big display with a clock started counting down. 59:59, 59:58…

Kaidou had noticed it too. He choked up, clutching the parcel that the Game Master had given him — or rather, that he'd insisted on taking.

"W-w-w-we'll n-n-n-never see d-d-daylight again…" the shivering _chuunibyou_ stammered.

"Oh, there's a post box here." Teruhashi was already investigating the place. It was tucked away in the far corner of the room.

Saiki sighed and snatched the parcel from Kaidou's trembling hands. He walked over to Teruhashi and dropped the parcel in the post box. Lights started flashing and a loud voice started citing train departure information.

_This is pretty cool._

Meanwhile Yumehara had found a plaque that seemed to fit into a big timetable on the wall. There were several options to place it, though. The plaque had a time on it.

"Okay, there's probably more of these lying around. Let's solve the puzzles and find them, then figure out how to place them on the board," Teruhashi suggested.

Saiki nodded. Then he took the plaque from Yumehara and whacked Kaidou — who was still panicking — over the head with it.

"Ow! Saiki!" Kaidou cried. Well, at least he was back to earth now. Yumehara had yelped, but Teruhashi was chuckling. At least someone appreciated his input around here.

After that they set out on their quest. They did get stuck on some of the puzzles, but overall they seemed to make pretty good time. As far as he could tell anyway, because he had no idea how much content there was. The employed mechanisms were pretty neat, like shining the infrared torch to find one of the answers. They'd retrieved the torch from another riddle, and shining it on the timetable had revealed where one of the plaques had to be placed.

When they had finally hung all the plaques in the correct places on the board, a hidden door in the wall slid open. Kaidou nearly fainted from the shock. Saiki wondered if they'd just found platform 9¾, but there was no wizardry on the other side. Just an even smaller room, with even louder ambience. It looked like an office.

"There's a note here," Teruhashi said, walking over to the desk. She tried to read it out loud, but it was impossible to hear her with the overpowering background noise. They had to huddle really close to make out what she was saying. Uncomfortably close. Saiki decided to go for the better option and peered over Teruhashi's shoulder at the sheet she was holding. Yumehara, standing opposite them, was giving him a suggestive look. He scowled at her. Good grief, he was just trying to follow. Was there nothing else on this girl's mind?

"To solve this mystery, connect the dots…" Teruhashi glanced at him over her shoulder. "What does that mean?"

He had no idea, so they decided to explore the room first. Kaidou fell in love with a bookcase that he could pull books out of, like a control panel to a secret passageway from the movies. He and Yumehara were trying to figure out the correct order of books to pull. They had nothing to go on though, so they were just pulling books out at random. Every so often the lights would flicker and steam would appear from around the bookcase. It didn't seem quite right, but whatever. Saiki was too busy trying to understand the message that was coming from the old-fashioned radio instead. He and Teruhashi had figured out the correct frequency through a riddle. It was so hard to hear, though. They were both leaning over the blasted thing, bringing their ears as close as possible.

"I can't hear a word," he said, looking at Teruhashi. The close proximity of her face was a bit distracting.

"I think it's saying something about… handles?" She frowned, looking down at the radio.

"Handles?" Saiki looked around the room. The only handles he could spot were the ones on two separate cabinet drawers across the room. He walked over and kneeled down. They'd already tried to open the drawers, but they wouldn't budge. He hadn't noticed the small circles above the handles before, though. Interesting.

"What did that note say again?" he asked Teruhashi, who'd kneeled next to him.

"Something about connecting the dots… oh, that must refer to these circles," she replied. "But how do we connect these?"

Saiki wasn't sure. He couldn't think of a single prop in this room — or the previous one — that would reach. The cabinets were simply too far apart.

"…I have an idea," Teruhashi said after a moment. She stepped towards the other cabinet and took hold of the handle. "Hold onto that handle on your side," she instructed, so he did. "Now give me your hand, Saiki-kun."

_Surely it can't detect that._

Worth a shot though. He took her hand. The two drawers immediately shot open.

_Okay, that's really nifty._

Teruhashi beamed a smile at him. That was really clever of her — he never would have guessed. Her warm hand slid out of his, leaving a chill. Saiki felt his heart beating in his chest. Maybe he'd been wrong about not understanding the appeal of this place. The rush of escaping sure was intense.

"What's in yours?" she asked him.

_Oh, right._

She'd opened the drawer on her side. "I've got a sheet here. Looks like some sort of code." Saiki pulled something similar out of the drawer on his side.

They figured it must be the code for the bookcase, so they went over to Kaidou and Yumehara. Kaidou pulled the books out in the correct order, but it was only followed by more flickering lights and steam.

"What the hell?" Kaidou kicked the bookcase in frustration, hurting his foot in the process. The bookcase moved about an inch.

"…hang on," Saiki said. He pulled on the bookcase. It slid right open. "Seems like you didn't need our code after all," he remarked wryly. Apparently they'd brute forced it without realizing.

Finally they could proceed to the next room. Surely this had to be the last one. They had wasted a lot of time in the previous room, so they only had about 15 minutes left. They went through the riddles without too much trouble, although Kaidou was quickly succumbing to the pressure of the approaching deadline. Another door opened up. They cheered, but it turned out to be too soon to celebrate.

_Another room? _

This room could hardly even fit them all in, because half the space was taken up by a massive treasure chest. It was also really dark. Saiki looked up at the clock.

_6:43, 6:42_…

They might not make it at this rate.

_Unacceptable._

For a moment Saiki wished he had his powers so he could just blow their way out. But he supposed that would be considered cheating.

So instead he set out to solve the last riddle. It was a rebus that sent them back into the previous rooms to find the necessary words. Annoying, but he had lackeys for that. He told Kaidou and Yumehara to go and get the details from the other rooms while he and Teruhashi figured out the rest of the riddle. He needed her radiance because it was so dark in there, after all. The translated rebus had instructions on how to order certain props in the room.

_Two minutes left._

Kaidou had now become utterly useless in his stunned state, but the rest of them were helping with the props. Teruhashi put the last item down. With just under a minute left on the clock, the treasure chest opened up and behind it, the final door as well.

"We did it!" Yumehara shrieked. The Game Master was grinning at them on the other side of the door. The girls went through to meet him, cheering. Saiki was about to follow, until he realized that they were one man short. He quickly went back to fetch a frozen Kaidou back in the second room.

"_Offu!_ I-I mean, yes you did it!" Saiki heard the Game Master say to the girls. Well, girl. Calling him a Game Master really was a stretch. He couldn't be much older than them. Apparently that was his title, though. Saiki had already decided he didn't like the guy. And that wasn't just because he kept ogling Teruhashi. There were other reasons.

"Well done! Shall I take a victory picture of you lot? You can take some of the items in the room if you like," the douchebag insisted.

Saiki really wasn't that interested, but the other three had already headed back inside to loot the place, so he followed them with a sigh. The treasure chest was full of stuff, so he intended to take a random item from it. A massive viking helmet caught his eye, so he grabbed it and put it on. It had horns on it. Unfortunately he couldn't find any glasses. Kaidou was wearing some with his Sherlock Holmes outfit, but Saiki didn't want to ask him. He wouldn't be able to explain if Kaidou'd ask him why.

The girls returned soon after with some gear to wear for the photo. Teruhashi had found a cloak from the first room. She chuckled when she saw him wearing the helmet. "Hey there, devil," she smiled as she walked past him.

_Heh. _

He knew she'd get it.

"Okay, huddle up!" the Game Master shouted. An entire warehouse at their disposal and they were doing the photo in this narrow hallway? It made no sense, but whatever. They shuffled even closer together.

"Say cheeeese!" Kaidou shouted, his arms filled with spoils up to his chin. They got three smiles and a blank face. Hopefully. He heard the camera click a handful of times.

"Alright! …oh," the Game Master started messing with the camera clumsily. "I'm not sure this is working… hm, wait... let's do a test shot~"

The Game Master had pulled Teruhashi from their group in the blink of an eye. He was aiming the camera at himself and the confused bluenette, holding her way too tightly, way too close. Saiki narrowed his eyes. Was his hand resting on her hip?

_How dare he._

Saiki didn't realize he'd stepped in until he'd found himself grasping the offending hand. Perhaps a little too tightly as well. "I don't recall you escaping," Saiki growled at the whimpering Game Master.

"Right, right. No need for a picture then," the fool squeaked, snivelling. Saiki let go of his hand and took the camera from the other, flicking through the pictures. They looked fine. He deleted the selfies before tossing the camera back to the lowlife. He caught it just in time.

"Thank you, Saiki-kun," Teruhashi whispered as they left the building. He grunted a non-committal response.

He just couldn't stand perverts.

* * *

They decided to go and grab a drink afterwards. They were all in high spirits after their success in the escape room – well, three of them, anyway. Saiki just followed the troublesome bunch.

"That was awesome!" Kaidou exclaimed over his coke. "We should bring Nendou and Aren next time!" He seemed to have completely forgotten that this was supposed to be a date with the girls. Then again, it had slipped his own mind as well. He'd been too absorbed in solving the riddles.

The three continued to review their escaping experience energetically while Saiki just sipped his coffee and listened. It had been alright. The plot had been weak, but the puzzles had been rather fun. The Game Master had commended them on their teamwork, asking them if they'd done it before. That was obviously before Saiki had nearly broken his fingers. Teruhashi was the only one who had had previous escape room experience though. Maybe that was why she'd been so good. Saiki was pretty impressed with her problem solving skills.

Kaidou had been eyeing a pinball machine on the far end of the café since they'd arrived, so he eagerly got up to go and play once he'd finished his drink.

"I'll go cheer him on," Yumehara said with a red face, leaving Saiki and Teruhashi alone at the table, sitting opposite each other.

Some peace and quiet at last. Saiki took another sip and put the cup back on the saucer.

"That wasn't so bad now, was it?" Teruhasi asked him casually. She'd started drawing on a napkin.

Saiki looked at her. "…no," he admitted. "It didn't really feel like a date though." Her pen kept catching on the napkin. It was annoying her. He could tell from the way she was wrinkling her nose.

"No? What does a date feel like then?"

He shrugged. "Awkward."

"Then it's not a good date." He supposed she had a point there.

Saiki brought his coffee cup up to his face, holding it with both hands. "I guess this is a good date then," he said, tongue-in-cheek. He peered at her over the rim of the cup. Teruhashi looked up to meet his eye. He gave her a wry smile, but she didn't return it as she usually would. The cup was probably hiding half his face from her view.

He could have lowered his drink, but he didn't. Couldn't. For some reason it was impossible to break eye contact with her. The intensity of her stare was incapacitating. His smile had been long gone by the time she finally averted her gaze. Saiki let go of the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Was she blushing?

_W-what was…?_

Saiki took a big gulp, finishing his coffee and nearly choking on it. He had no idea what'd just happened. He felt on edge. Was he nervous? Why was he nervous?

"Uh…" Teruhashi nodded in the direction of Kaidou and Yumehara. Kaidou had been beating on the pinball machine, so now his hand was hurting. Yumehara was fretting over him. "D-do you think they'll ever get past this stage?"

He thanked her internally for the change of subject. He coughed, clearing the coffee from his windpipe. "Ugh. Uh… I don't think they'd hook up unless we pressed their faces together. And even then I'm not sure."

"Hmm," Teruhashi said absent-mindedly, twirling a lock of her hair around her index finger. She wasn't even looking at Kaidou and Yumehara anymore. Saiki wondered what she was thinking.

Good grief, that was some strong coffee though. His heart was going crazy.

* * *

"That was amazing!" Yumehara squealed. She'd wanted to walk home together after the date. They'd just said goodbye to the boys.

"It was really fun," Teruhashi smiled at her friend warmly. "Shame about Kaidou-kun's hand. I hope it's not hurt too bad."

"Oh, he'll be fine," Yumehara replied. "And else I'll go visit him with a fruit basket, hehe~ Ahh damn holidays… it will be forever before we see the boys again…"

Teruhashi smiled woefully. Yumehara's regrets resonated with her, but she knew it was for the best. Hopefully six weeks was enough to get her emotions back under control. Her feelings had begun to run rampant and it was really getting in the way of her friendship with Saiki. Platonic friendship. Her thoughts had definitely _not_ been platonic when they'd been hanging over that damn radio together. She didn't think he'd noticed, though.

"You and Saiki-kun are so cute though!" Yumehara clapped her hands. "Are you sure you haven't kissed yet? You two are so tight~"

"W-what…?" Teruhashi felt her face flare up. "N-no Chiyo, this date was for you and Kaidou-kun. Saiki-kun and I are just friends."

"Is that what he told you?" Yumehara giggled. "If so, then he's lying. You two look at each other a little too long to be just friends."

_Did she see that?_

Teruhashi still didn't understand what had happened there. Somehow she'd found herself trapped in his gaze. He hadn't looked her in the eye after that though. She'd wanted to kick herself. Way to ruin a great evening. Well done her.

"I don't know, Chiyo… I don't think he's interested in that sort of thing."

"Are you serious?" She was looking at her incredulously. "I've seen him look at you when he thinks no one's watching. His expression turns softer than that dessert he likes so much. I saw him do it tonight, too," she winked, grinning. "Don't let him fool you, Kokomi. He's either just dense, or shy, and more than likely he's both. Besides, did you see how jealous he got when…"

Yumehara's well-intended but incorrect assumptions faded into the background as Teruhashi became absorbed in her own thoughts. Her friend really couldn't be further from the truth. Saiki was definitely not dense, or shy, or jealous. He was just not looking for romance. It must have been a real turn off for him, observing everyone's purest selves and thoughts around him for most of his life. Teruhashi would have to come up with a different excuse for the romance-minded girl next to her, though.

"N-no, I'm… he knows how I feel about him. He wants to be just friends…" The truth hurt even more when she said it out loud like that.

"No way, really? Why? …oh!" Yumehara's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Did you tell him? Oh-my-GOD! How did it go?! Tell me everything!"

"N-no, I didn't…"

_Not intentionally._

Yumehara frowned at her. "Then how do you know that he knows?"

Teruhashi sighed. She couldn't exactly tell her why he knew.

"Just a gut feeling." Close enough, anyway. She smiled at Yumehara. "It's okay though. He's a good friend and I really value that too. I'll get over it."

Yumehara blew a raspberry. "Pffft. Sorry, I'm not buying it. There's too many sparks flying between you two for that," she grinned wickedly. "If you guys haven't hooked up by the end of summer, I'll eat my hat. Actually, no wait. I'll ask Kaidou-kun to marry me!" She chortled.

Teruhashi chuckled with her. She really was too kind.

_I guess we've got a wedding coming._


	8. Full Throttle

**Author's Note: **A quick new chapter because YBI asked so nicely. Don't get used to it. ;) (Although... I can be persuaded...)

Thank you all for your kind words. It's good to hear people are enjoying my silly little fantasy. Please continue to let me know how you find it. Your feedback and guesses as to what will happen next, they make my day and keep me going.

Without further ado, please enjoy! Stuff's getting exciting now~ :D

* * *

**Chapter 8 - Full Throttle**

* * *

Summer holidays. The highlight of every student's academic year. Six weeks of pure bliss. Saiki had finished off his summer homework straight away and then spent the rest of the days up to this point the same way he'd always done — at home, reading, watching TV and just generally chilling.

_So why am I so goddamn bored._

He was lying on his bed on his back, facing the ceiling. Next to him was the book he had discarded a moment ago. It was a new thriller by an author that he really liked. It had been really promising so far. And yet it could not hold his attention this time.

His mind was somewhere else, once again.

Saiki glanced at the calendar. It was at the far end of the room, so there was no way he could read what was on it. He didn't need to, though. He knew it was three more days until August 4th.

She would be returning home with her family on August 4th.

_And then what?_

Saiki sighed, trying to relax his muscles. They had tensed up again.

He had no idea what was going to happen then. He wasn't even sure if he'd see her anymore at all before school would start again. They had nothing planned. They were going to, but then that damn date happened. That had been almost two weeks ago. They hadn't spoken since.

He hadn't meant to stare at her like that. It'd just happened. Maybe she was angry with him? She might have gotten the wrong idea. He'd wanted to apologize, but he didn't know how. He sucked with this stuff. He was much better at pretending he didn't care. Maybe he'd be better off not caring.

It was such a pain.

Saiki reached for his phone. Still no new messages. He considered sending her one, but discarded the idea. Much like the previous 20 times he'd considered it in the past few days. He didn't know what to say anyway.

_How did this get so weird?_

There was a quick knock on the door, immediately followed by his mother coming in. "Ku-chan? I made some tea. Do you want some?"

"There's really no point in knocking if you're just entering immediately," Saiki complained. He'd asked her so many times now. His telepathy used to alert him about his parents coming up, so he'd never made an issue of their atrocious knocking skills before. You'd think his mother would learn from walking in on him while he was changing, but no. All she'd done is squeal joyously how he was growing into such a fine young man. Whatever that was supposed to mean.

"I'll have some downstairs. Thanks."

He followed his mother down the stairs and plopped down on the sofa. Maybe there was something on TV that could take his mind off things. He started flicking through the channels as he sipped his tea.

He landed on a cooking program. Couldn't really go wrong with that — seemed like they were doing sweet stuff too. He could get on board with this. Might even learn a thing or two.

"_Here's how you can make your own delicious gelato! First place the milk and cream in a saucepan…"_

_Gelato?_

His mind was brought back to Teruhashi sharing a bite of her gelato with him at Café Mami's. Saiki frowned and changed the channel. Looked like a documentary that was about to start.

"_ANGELS AND DEMONS REVEALED"_

Saiki blinked. It had been a while since they'd exchanged notes. He kinda missed them. They'd been fun.

_Damn it._

Next channel then. This shitty romantic comedy would do, even if it was nearly finished. What a surprise to see the male protagonist have pink hair. Even in this world, it was still a pretty rare sight. Oh, the female lead entered the scene.

_Long blue hair. Really._

He quickly changed the channel before they started making out. He landed right on Teruhashi Makoto's face in one of his terrible detectives. Saiki mashed the off button on the remote.

_This is pointless._

He tossed the remote next to him in frustration. How could one stupid girl get under his skin so much without even being present? What a goddamn pain.

"Nothing that tickles your fancy, huh?" His mother was reading the newspaper at the table, humming softly. "Won't Kokomi-chan be back soon?" she asked gleefully. Saiki didn't respond. Apparently the universe was against him not having her on his mind for more than two damn seconds.

His mother got up and went into the hall. A little later she returned with the mail.

"A letter arrived for you, Ku-chan," she chirped.

Saiki grunted. Probably another of Kaidou's burn notices to meet him at some desolated building. No thanks.

His mother held the letter close to her face. "Oh, it's got a tiny scribble on it… like Satan or something…?"

Saiki appeared at his mother's side so fast that he wondered if he'd teleported. He snatched the envelope from her hands. That handwriting, the tiny sketch. It could only be hers. His heart was thumping as he tore open the envelope. His fingers slipped inside the envelope, touching what felt like a postcard—

For a split second, a vision of Teruhashi at the beach flashed before his eyes. She was lying on her tummy on a beach towel, writing something. It was gone so fast that Saiki wondered if he'd imagined it.

Well, she had been on his mind a lot, so it must have been his imagination. He blinked twice and proceeded to take out what was inside the envelope. It was one of those common "warm wishes from" postcards with blue seas and palm trees on the front. He flipped the card around.

"_Hi Saiki-kun,_  
_It's beautiful here. We've been so lucky with the weather._  
_I hope you'll still recognize me with this tan._

_Hope you're enjoying your holidays._

_Take care,_  
_Kokomi"_

Next to it she'd drawn an angel with its skin colored in with pencil.

The message was short and lacked the humor and wit he'd come to expect from her. It really was nothing special. Despite all that, he was grinning like an idiot. That is, until he remembered that his mother was right there. He glanced at her, instantly straightening his expression into his trademark scowl.

"I take it that's from Kokomi-chan~" she said, hugging herself and smiling at him warmly.

_Is it that obvious?_

Saiki gave her a curt nod, spun on his heel and ran upstairs. Where did he leave his phone? Oh right, on his bed. He sat down and opened up their message dialogue.

"_Thanks for the card. Have you dumped your brother in the ocean yet?" _He pressed send. It felt like he could breathe again.

Saiki lay back on his bed. He was alone, so he could grin all he wanted. He was so happy she'd broken the silence. Surely things would go back to normal now.

Whatever "normal" was nowadays.

* * *

_Is this normal?_

It was August 6th. She should have been back for two days now.

It had taken her a while to respond to his first text. They'd exchanged a couple more texts after that. Something was off though. Teruhashi had been… lukewarm in her responses. Not unfriendly, just… flat. Inhibited, maybe. That wasn't normal. Saiki wondered if that incident from the date was still bothering her. Or maybe something had happened while she was away? Not knowing was driving him insane.

She'd also not suggested to meet once she'd returned. That might be normal. They hadn't really met up outside the context of school before. Not since they'd become friends, or without the rest of their friends present as well, anyway. Even visiting Café Mami was tied to school, as they always went after class.

He wanted to meet her today though. He had to. So he'd texted her this morning, asking if they could. That was definitely not normal. It felt wrong. He never initiated meet-ups. Not with anyone. To make it worse, she hadn't responded.

_Is she avoiding me?_

Why on earth would she avoid him?

* * *

"S-Saiki-kun…?"

Teruhashi was half hiding behind the door, as if that would somehow make it easier to deal with this situation. She had not expected him to show up on her doorstep. But here he was, staring straight into her soul with those beautiful eyes of his.

Those two weeks away from him had evidently done fuck all.

She'd really tried. Really, really tried. To take her feelings down a notch. To keep her mind off him. It had been easy enough to keep herself busy. One Angel Breath and everyone would come running, after all. She may even have tried flirting with a pretty boy or two. With great success, of course, much to her brother's dismay. But she couldn't follow up on it. No one could compare to the plainest guy in her class.

After the first week of mental torment, she'd figured that above all else, he was still her friend. And friends got to receive postcards. Postcards were fair game. A safe and unambiguous message would hopefully break the tension between them. And it had. She'd been so happy with his text. Too happy. She kept reminding herself that she needed distance, but then he kept sucking her straight back in with his silly quips. She'd wait and eventually respond with a reserved answer, and he would turn it around immediately, add two or three layers of thick, dry sarcasm and throw it right back in her face.

She loved it. His dark humor cracked her up.

So when Saiki had messaged her this morning, asking if they could meet, she'd ignored him. She couldn't even deal with his texts without sweaty palms, without her heart racing. How was she supposed to actually face him?

She'd better figure that out real soon though, because she was facing him right now. How long had she been staring at him? Why was he watching her like that? Why hadn't he said anything?

"Kokomi? Who's that?" Makoto asked behind her. He'd left the door to the living room open. The buzz of their partying guests was clearly audible at the front door.

"O-oh, just a delivery!" she called back. She stepped outside and closed the door behind her, trying to keep her nosy brother out of this. She looked up at Saiki. Makoto's interruption seemed to have jumpstarted the two of them, at least.

"Well, I was going to wish you a happy birthday, but expecting whole deliveries from me is a bit presumptuous," Saiki told her in a mocking tone.

She'd wondered if that had been the reason for his visit. She was surprised he knew. "Sorry. Thank you," she said with an uneasy smile.

"So… someone's been ignoring my texts, so I didn't know this would be a bad time," he said, referring to the guests most likely. He clicked his tongue, feigning indignation. Although there was probably a hint of truth in there.

"I-I was just busy," she lied.

"Uh-huh. You must be overburdened," he retorted bitterly. Not a hint of pretense there.

_Is he upset that I ignored him?_

The realization that he actually seemed to _care_ filled her insides with a fuzzy warmth. Since when did Saiki Kusuo care? This was new to her.

"I'm sorry. It won't happen again," she smiled at him sweetly. He looked away, scoffing, but his heart wasn't in it. She was pretty confident he'd already forgiven her.

His eyes wandered to the gleaming motorcycle that was parked right next to them. It had a huge bow on it. "…woah. Is that yours?"

She sighed loudly. "Yeah. My brother gave it to me." Saiki gave her the same incredulous look that she'd given her brother earlier that day. "I know. It's um, blue."

"Ah yes. Your favorite color," Saiki said, as if he understood.

_How?_

"I can't even ride a motorcycle. I have no idea what to do with it," Teruhashi shrugged, her palms facing up.

Saiki eyed the vehicle for a moment. Then his eyes lit up as he looked back at her.

"Wanna go for a ride?"

Somehow it felt like he'd invited her to a dance.

"Eh? I just said…" He pulled his wallet out of the back pocket of his trousers and showed her one of the cards in it. "…wow, you have a motorcycle license?"

"I was strong-armed into getting one with Kuboyasu and Kaidou a few summers ago." This guy was just full of surprises.

"That's so cool," she said in admiration, staring at his license. Cute passport photo, too. "But uh, I can't leave right now. We have guests."

"We won't be long. They won't even know you're gone." He grinned at her, almost mischievously. "Come on."

How could she possibly say no to him? He'd already ripped off the bow. Makoto had probably had the same idea — to ride this bike with two people — because it came with two safety helmets. Teruhashi doubted that he'd intended the second person to be Saiki, though.

Saiki handed her one of the helmets and wheeled the motorcycle over to the street. Conveniently, the key was still in the ignition. Makoto must have forgotten to take it out when he was showing it off earlier. Teruhashi watched as Saiki mounted the vehicle and put on his helmet, then started the engine and revved at her.

He looked so friggin' cool.

She walked over to him, put on her helmet and hesitantly climbed behind him.

"Hold on tight," he said over his shoulder, his voice a bit muffled by the helmet. She spotted a sparkle in his eye before he put his visor down. One that she couldn't quite place.

"I will," she whispered in response, sliding her arms around his waist. She felt the warmth of his body through his thin shirt. Thank goodness she was wearing that helmet, because her face must be on fire. Saiki asked if she was ready, so she nodded.

Off they went. Her respectful, rather loose hold turned into the tightest grasp in the middle of their first turn. Yikes. She felt him laugh.

_So much for keeping distance._

* * *

This was sensational. Feeling the blustering wind, the roaring bike flying over the asphalt roads. It was almost like taking wing. He should know — he'd flown before.

Teruhashi's hands were digging into his shirt. Her arms clinging tightly to his waist. Her knees pressing against his hips. One might consider it restraining, but it wasn't — he'd never felt more free before in his life. It was exhilarating.

This rush was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. His heart was pounding in his chest. _Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum._ Adrenaline was pumping through him, giving him goose bumps all over. He had to remind himself to keep breathing.

Maybe he was able to experience this now, in all its rawness and purity, because he no longer had his powers. Maybe one had to be a mere mortal to appreciate the thrill of riding a motorcycle. Being able to share this with her felt amazing.

_What a ride._

Saiki could have kept on going forever, but he did promise. The sun was already starting to set, painting the sky shades of violet and crimson. He may have lost track of time. Whoops. She hadn't signaled him either, so it wasn't completely his fault if her family was freaking out at home.

He took the next exit off the beachside road they'd been touring and pulled over at a small rest area overlooking the beach. Saiki waited until Teruhashi'd gotten off so that he could keep the motorcycle stabilized for her, then stepped off and put the kickstand down. Teruhashi was already over at the railing to admire the view. Saiki took off his helmet and placed it on the bike before joining her. The view was beautiful. Yet he found himself observing the fresh 18-year-old from the corner of his eye. A gentle breeze played with her hair. She'd been right — she had gotten quite a tan. Maybe that was why he'd been taken aback when she'd opened the door on him before.

_It must have been the tan._

Teruhashi glanced at him for a second, then started giggling.

Saiki frowned. "What?"

"Your hair." She made an explosion gesture around her head, with accompanying sounds.

Saiki scoffed, running a hand through his hair in a quick attempt to tame it. Helmets were such a pain. How come every single strand of _her_ hair seemed to be in the right place?

"Not everyone's perfect like you," he muttered.

She smirked, focusing her gaze back on the ocean. "You know I'm not."

_Huh?_

He wasn't really sure where that had come from. He couldn't dwell on it though, because he had something else on his mind.

"Listen, um…" he cleared his throat. "I realize we need to head back. And we will. I just…" He took the little velvety sachet bag from his pocket and handed it to her, trying his hardest to keep his hand steady. "…here. Happy birthday."

Teruhashi stared at the tiny bag, slowly taking it from him. Then she looked up at him, eyes wide with surprise. "You got me a gift?"

"Just a little something that I chanced upon." In reality he'd spent two weeks looking for it, but she didn't need to know that.

She opened the sachet bag and emptied the contents into her hand. It was a silver necklace with a delicate little pendant hanging from it. It had the shape of an angel.

Saiki studied her reaction. He wasn't sure if she was humbled or horrified. She just kept gaping at the necklace in her hand.

"Um, I can return it if you don't li—" Saiki started, but he was interrupted because she hugged him.

_She— wha—_

She started talking while Saiki was still in the middle of registering what was happening. Those were really her arms around his neck. Her chest against his. Her face on his shoulder. She was embracing him.

"I love it. Thank you," she breathed. She pulled away just when he was done processing it all. A gust of wind suddenly blasted past them, so strong that it blew the helmet off the motorcycle and nearly knocked over the brand new bike itself as well. The blast was so powerful that Teruhashi lost her balance. Saiki could grab her by her middle just in time, keeping her upright.

The gust was gone just as suddenly as it'd appeared.

"Holy…" Teruhashi gasped, her eyes bulging. "What was that?"

Saiki didn't respond. He didn't know. Didn't really care either. He was still recovering from her hug. He retreated his arms slowly.

"Fortunately I clenched my hand, else this would have gone flying too." She was smiling happily at the gift in her hand. Saiki blinked a couple of times. She was trying to put the necklace on now, but the clasp was too finicky for that. He was just watching her struggle. He wondered if he looked like a zombie.

"Um… help?" she laughed. Saiki took the necklace from her without a word. She turned around and pulled her hair aside. Her neck was just as delicate as the necklace, he realized as he brought the piece of jewelry around her neck. He managed to close the clasp on his third attempt. Shaking hands and tiny clasps were an awful combination.

The ride home was smooth and sweet. She may have clung onto him even tighter. Saiki didn't mind. Tight felt right.

He had intended to tell her that the little stones in the pendant were germanium, but it'd completely slipped his mind. He had been preoccupied with the weird sensations he was experiencing around her.

_Is it really just the thrill of the ride?_


	9. Revelations

**Chapter 9 - Revelations**

* * *

_18, huh._

It did feel a little weird. Saiki'd had his 17th birthday so many times now. Turning 18 had become something always just out of reach.

Was he supposed to be an adult now? Because right now he felt like anything but one. Saiki checked the alarm clock. Nearly 1 PM. He should probably get up. He was exhausted though. Spent the night tossing and turning again. It was becoming really tiresome.

He'd already decided he would go downstairs and say hi to his parents quickly, before heading off to the video rental store so he could lock himself in his room with some godawful B-movies all day. That should hopefully keep him from going absolutely insane.

He should be good as long as he didn't _think. _Not thinking meant not feeling. And not feeling meant not having to think about what he was feeling.

Because what he was feeling made no sense.

_Stop thinking._

It did make sense that he felt filthy after that sleepless night though. Saiki went for a quick shower first before throwing on some light clothes as it was going to be another hot day.

He went downstairs and was about to open the door to the living room. He knew how this would go. First his mother would shriek something along the lines of _"Happy birthday, Ku-chan~!"_ followed by his father's more easy-going _"Ah, Kusuo. Happy birthday." _Then they'd want to do gifts and cake. It'd have to wait though. Well, the cake might be okay.

He entered the living room.

"Happy birthday, Ku-chan~!"

"Ah, Kusuo. Happy birthday."

"If it isn't my boring, ordinary brother! Happy birthday, Kusuo!"

_Wait. What?!_

He spotted the unwelcome blonde sitting on the sofa, legs folded and holding a cup of coffee.

"What's _he_ doing here?" Saiki snapped at his father, his punching bag of choice.

"What do you mean? We told you." His father held up his hands in feigned innocence. "You may have been doing stuff on your phone at the time, though."

"Ku-chan can't hear a thing when he's on his phone~" his mother giggled as she handed Saiki a cup of coffee.

_Nonsense._

"You have a phone now, Kusuo?" Kusuke let out a deep sigh. "How the mighty have fallen… so normal~"

Saiki ignored him and sat down at the table, opposite his dad. He would just finish his coffee and then head off to the shop to get those DVDs. All the more reason to seek shelter in his room, with his pain-in-the-neck brother here. Saiki wasn't completely convinced yet that Kusuke was done challenging him now that his powers were gone.

"So how's a commoner's life been treating you then?" Kusuke asked him with a sly grin.

Saiki didn't respond, so his father spoke up. "It's actually been pretty good. I do have to lick more shoes now that I get in late to work more," Kuniharu shot him a quick glare, "but Kusuo's really changed for the better! He's got this really cute new gir—"

"It's been fine," Saiki interrupted. He looked up at his brother. "Where have you been anyway? I thought you graduated."

Kusuke shrugged, palms of his hands up in a _meh_ gesture. "Oh, here and there… Space, mostly."

Somehow that didn't surprise him.

"Earth has just been so boring with your powers gone, Kusuoooo~" the mad scientist whined. "My only worthy opponent… so selfish~"

_Those are _not_ real tears._

Saiki took a big sip of his coffee. He wanted to get going.

"Oh, speaking of which," Kusuke continued bright-eyed in sudden excitement, "I did gather some really interesting data in outer space that you might want to hea—" At that point he was interrupted by the doorbell.

His mother clapped her hands excitedly. "Oh, that'll be Kokomi-chan!"

Saiki spat his coffee all over the table.

"Ahh! KUSUO!"

_Wha- W-why is she here?!_

Saiki didn't invite her. She shouldn't even know it was his birthday.

"Oh Ku-chan! Papa thought it would be a fun idea to invite your friends over," his mother explained, quickly wiping the spilled coffee off the table so she could go and answer the door. "…come to think of it, he only mentioned Kokomi-chan, and I totally forgot about your other friends…" she trailed off, a finger pressed against her lip in thought.

His sorry excuse for a father gave him a sheepish grin, despite being covered in coffee as well as his son's spit. Saiki made a mental note to give him a pummelling later for lusting after his friend. But not now. His mother was on her way to the hall to open the door. He charged past her, making it to the hallway first. Saiki jumped into his shoes as he threw the front door wide open, finding a startled Teruhashi on the other side of it.

"Woah— uh, hi?" she yelped.

"We're going out," he barked, stepping out and grabbing her hand, slamming the door behind him.

"Eh?" She was spun around by him perhaps a bit too abruptly as he hastily made his way towards the street. "What the hell, Saiki? Stop dragging me."

He let go of her hand and glanced at their living room window as he stomped past, Teruhashi trying to catch up behind him. His family had gathered there and was watching them leave. His father looked disappointed. His mother looked overjoyed. And his brother looked absolutely mad with that wicked grin on his face.

_What's he plotting this time?_

There was no way he could have let his brother and Teruhashi meet again. It had ended in disaster last time. This time would have been tenfold worse. At the very least. Especially with him as a powerless pawn in the middle of it all.

Teruhashi caught up to him. "Um, I have like, so many questions right now." She almost sounded sorry. Saiki adjusted his pace and took a deep breath. This wasn't her fault.

"Okay. I'm not losing my voice again because of your curiosity though," he remarked. That night in the park seemed like a lifetime ago.

She laughed heartily. "Not _that_ many questions. Unfortunately. _That was hilarious._" She spoke the last words in a hoarse whisper. Saiki just rolled his eyes. "So um, first of all, what's _that_?" She was pointing at his shirt. He looked down and groaned.

"Ugh. Coffee."

She chuckled. "Okay. Nice. Second, since when do you have two birthdays? Don't tell me it's a super power."

He smirked. "It's not. And I don't."

"So when _is_ your birthday?"

"Today. August 16th."

"Then what the hell did we celebrate in May?"

"It's a long story." Maybe he would tell her in exchange for coffee jelly some day.

Teruhashi tutted. "Well, then you've had your gift three months early. Your mom called so late I had no time to prepare anything."

"Don't worry about it." Really, he didn't care.

"Anyway, um… happy birthday," she said kindly.

Saiki had been trying to keep his focus ahead of himself, but her change of tone caught his attention. He made the mistake of looking at her. He shouldn't have. Because she looked back, and their eyes met, and now he felt weird again.

It was that tickle in his stomach that was giving him those sleepless nights.

"…thanks," he managed in the end.

"So um…" she smiled hesitantly. "Third question?"

_Oh, right._

He nodded, focusing his gaze on the uncomplicated nothingness in front of him again.

"So… where are we going?"

_Oh. Right._

Saiki shrugged. "I have no idea."

* * *

"How about this one?" Teruhashi pulled a light green T-shirt with three horizontal white stripes out of the clothes rack. "Green _is_ kind of your color, after all." She held the shirt up in front of him. That should work.

Saiki shrugged. "Sure, I guess." He took the hanger from her and headed towards the changing rooms. They were shopping for a replacement for his coffee-stained shirt. After that they would go see a movie and grab a bite afterwards.

_Who would have thought we'd end up here again?_

They were in the neighboring town. Yes, that town where they had gone on a date while her brother was shooting that film. Well, a "gesture of apology for Makoto bugging him" was what she'd called it officially, not a date.

Similarly, this was absolutely _not _a date. Saiki had been crystal clear about it. For some reason. Probably to make sure that she wouldn't get the wrong idea.

"_I need to get away from my family today. It's _not_ a date," _he had insisted.

_"Yes, Saiki, I get it. Not a date. God forbid," _she had huffed in response. She did regret doing that. She still got to spend the day with him, so she shouldn't complain. It'd just been a bit odd how persistent he'd been about it. Hanging out together had never had the connotation of a date before. Why was it suddenly different now? They both knew the double date thing had just been a sham. Except for that little hiccup at the end, maybe. Perhaps that was the reason.

Teruhashi sat down in one of the waiting chairs in the store. How long did it take to change a shirt? Her hand went up to her neck, but she remembered she had left his necklace at home. She didn't want to seem too desperate by wearing it all the time. It'd quickly become a habit to play with the pendant, though.

_Maybe I shouldn't have hugged him._

She had acted on impulse, touched to the core by his gift. It'd been such a nice gesture, and he'd been so sweet, and the bike ride had been just magical. She had been overflowing. Besides, friends can hug, right? It'd been short and appropriate. Or so she'd thought.

But it had made him uneasy. He'd tried to hide it, but she'd noticed. He'd been different since then. It was hard to put her finger on it though. He was still his sarcastic, smug self most of the time. Cracking dry jokes, apparently at ease. Then something would trigger him — God knows what — and he'd retract into his shell. It almost reminded her of the days before he'd told her about his powers. It was like he'd put all his walls back in place, and he'd become aloof and unapproachable. And then once or twice she'd caught a glimpse of something else entirely — almost as if peeping through a crack in those very walls. She wasn't really sure what she'd seen yet, though. Something raw. Something he definitely didn't want her to see.

Yeah, she probably shouldn't have hugged him. No need to complicate this friendship any further. Even though it'd been amazing. She'd do it again in a heartbeat.

…but she wouldn't.

She sighed, playing with the cords of her top instead. Saiki Kusuo would forever remain an enigma to her, probably.

She'd given up on her own plan to keep some distance. He was like a drug to her. She was resilient enough to withstand the lows. Might as well enjoy the highs.

Besides, she could quit at any time she wanted, right.

Right.

* * *

"I still can't believe you're afraid of _bugs_!"

She should probably stop teasing him about it now. She just couldn't wrap her head around it though. The once most powerful man in the world was an insectophobic.

_I guess everyone has an Achilles heel. Mine has pink hair._

"Shut up," Saiki grumbled, picking at his food. He'd spilled their popcorn on the way to their seats back at the cinema because he'd spotted a bug. Well, he'd thought he had. It was really just a big chocolate-coated hazelnut that someone had dropped on the floor. Good thing she'd been holding their drinks at least. She'd gotten them some new popcorn though. And carried it. Just to be safe. He'd been so annoyed. Heh heh.

She chuckled. "Sorry. Full disclosure — I'm no fan of mice, myself." He glanced up at her and gave her a knowing little smile.

"How'd you find the movie?" she asked him before taking a bite. They'd just sat down for a meal, and she was starving.

"Alright," he replied. "The storyline was average, but it was a relief not having it spoiled beforehand by telepathy anymore. It's been on my to-do list to visit the cinema ever since I lost my powers."

Teruhashi smiled warmly at him. "I can't imagine how nice that must be now. Not to hear all these thoughts anymore." She expected him to agree, but his eyes just kind of… glazed over.

"…yes. It is," he responded after a pause, not looking up from his plate.

_I'd kill to read his mind right now._

She took a bite and watched him. He was building a wall again.

_Why though?_

"Hey, do you remember the last time we were here?" He looked up at her and nodded hesitantly. Of course he did. "Good, because something's been bugging me all this time — no pun intended, sorry," she grinned apologetically. "Anyways. Um… Why were you such an asshole? It's not like you."

He cracked a smile. Good. If he was going to bring up his walls, then she'd take them down again. Challenge accepted.

"Because I _am_ an asshole," he said, not without satisfaction in his voice.

"That may be true," she laughed, "but not like that. Tell me."

Saiki observed her for a moment, chewing on the end of one of the wooden chopsticks.

"I needed you to lose interest in me," he spoke eventually.

Teruhashi dropped the meatball she was about to eat. "Eh?" That was _not_ the answer she was expecting.

"It's the crowds you attract. I mean, look around." She glanced around. Every male in the restaurant — including the waiter — was glaring at Saiki with contempt. "The risk of exposure was too great for me."

Now it was her turn to pick at her food. She'd never even considered that she would have that effect on him. She was dumbstruck. It made so much sense.

Saiki shrugged. "But hey, you did in the end, right? Just a few years late," he smirked as he returned to his meal.

…_what?_

What was he talking about? She went over his words another time in her mind. It felt like she was struck by lightning once she realized it.

…_does he think I've lost interest in him?_

* * *

They were at the station, waiting for the train to take them home. Teruhashi had taken a seat on one of the benches, but Saiki had opted to stand next to her instead. She'd been absorbed in some messages on her phone. He thought she might be chatting with Yumehara, as she was typing furiously. It gave him some time to think.

He did not want time to think.

How did his B-movie day turn into this? The whole point of DVD marathoning had been so that he wouldn't have to deal with her.

It didn't make it any easier that it'd been so damn nice to spend the day with her. As you'd expect from a friend.

A _friend._

Saiki eyed the girl next to him. She tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear. It was stubborn – third time she'd done it now. She glanced up at him and gave him a warm smile before returning to her phone. His insides felt fizzy at the moment of contact.

_What the hell is going on?_

He couldn't make any sense of it. Or maybe he could, but did not want to. He frowned, looking away from her.

_It's not possible._

* * *

Finally the train arrived. It was already getting late, so there were only a handful of people on it. The two youths sat down next to each other. Saiki put the bag with his coffee-stained shirt down on the floor. He saw Teruhashi yawn from the corner of his eye.

"I'm shattered," she said. "Mind if I shut my eyes for a bit?"

Saiki nodded. "Sure." He was pretty tired himself, but their destination wasn't far, so he'd better keep an eye out.

A moment later he felt some pressure against his shoulder, so he looked to his side. Teruhashi was resting her head against his shoulder, eyes closed. He gulped.

_W-what is she doing? _

His mind was racing. She was so close.

_What, what's with all the physical contact lately? Is this normal? Is this what friends do?_

He wanted to run. And he wanted to stay. Was he going mad? Should he tell her to move? Did he want her to?

_What the hell is happening?_

Every fibre in his body had tensed up. He couldn't move. His throat felt so tight he couldn't breathe.

It was in that moment of panic that he heard her.

"_Why would he think I don't like him anymore though…"_

He jumped. Or scrambled backwards, maybe. His sudden movement had jolted her out of her short-lived snooze too. Teruhashi was staring at him, quickly becoming flustered and stammering apologies. He was too dazed to put her at ease. He must have looked like a fool, just staring back at her. He had startled for a different reason than she was thinking, but there was no way he could tell her that.

Teruhashi eventually just sat back in her seat when no response came from him. She looked devastated. Saiki sat straight as well, glancing away from her. The rest of the ride home happened in complete silence. They muttered awkward goodbyes when it was time to split up.

Saiki shuffled home. He felt awful.

Her words had rung in his head so clearly. He wasn't sure what scared him more about that.

The fact that he had heard her thoughts.

Or the actual content of those thoughts.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Just a shout out to everyone who's been kind enough to leave such praise. I did not expect such a response. Thanks!

Please continue to let me know what you think. Love hearing from you guys!

Stuff's getting really exciting now~!


	10. Wishful Thinking

**Author's note:** Apologies for all the updates... I'm on a roll. :)

* * *

**Chapter 10 -Wishful Thinking**

* * *

Had it really been another power leak?

"_Keep an eye out for ya, Stingray!"_

Maybe it was just another one-off? Wasn't that an oxymoron anyway?

"_Yeah! SEE YA!"_

Saiki sighed and turned the TV off. If not even the worst fighting scene in the history of B-movies could hold his attention anymore, then he was truly beyond help. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor in his bedroom, staring at the now black screen.

He'd had a week to mull over what had happened and it made as little sense to him now as it did then. At this point he was wondering if he'd even really heard her thoughts at all. Maybe it had just been his imagination? That might just be wishful thinking though.

Saiki had locked himself in his room as soon as he'd arrived home that night. Of course he'd tried to use his powers, and of course they'd been as dried up as they were before. He hadn't picked up his parents' thoughts or anyone else's on the way home, either.

It had only been that one, single thought, and yet it had been enough to turn his world upside down.

He'd intended to talk to Kusuke about the power leaks the next day, but the older brother had already departed. He'd left Saiki a birthday present, though. It was nothing special, just a stupid rock. Something he'd discovered in space. Apparently he'd named it _saikinium._

He didn't really know how much Kusuke could help him with the power leaks anyway. They'd discussed them before, just after they had first started to happen. The short answer was — who knew. Most likely his powers would stay sealed. There was a chance that his body would slowly revert back to what it was before. And all the other possibilities in-between.

Then there was that other issue that he should probably deal with at some point. His stomach churned just thinking about it. Just another kind of bodily malfunctioning to add to the list.

He couldn't sleep. He couldn't eat. He couldn't relax. He felt feverish half the time.

Saiki was absolutely convinced that this was the worst summer vacation yet. He'd nearly wish for it to be just over, but then he'd have to face her in school. Sit next to her all day. He rubbed his face in his hands, groaning.

_I'll deal with it. With _her_._

The walls were closing in on him today. He got up, grabbed a book off his shelf and went downstairs. He told his mother he'd be out reading and left the house.

_Just not today._

* * *

He wasn't sure why he'd brought a book. He'd forgotten he had the attention span of a goldfish right now.

Saiki had gone to the local park. It was a nice day for it, really. Not too hot today, either. He'd sat down in the grass to read, but failing that, he'd lain back instead. The summer breeze and the sun rays on his face made him sleepy. No wonder with how little rest he was getting lately. Maybe he'd just close his eyes for a bit.

Just for a second.

* * *

After a week of self-inflicted guilt tripping, Teruhashi had finally mustered enough courage to face her demon. Or devil, if you will. She'd made her way over to the Saiki residence, but the youngest member of the family wasn't home. This guy had turned avoidance into an art form, seriously.

His mother had let her know that he'd gone out to read though, so she figured that he should be either at the library or the park. With this weather, she knew where she would go, given such a choice. She'd spotted a familiar shade of pink lying down in the grass soon enough, with a little bit of help from the Gods to guide her way.

She'd approached him, wiping her clammy hands on her dress, only to realize he was actually sound asleep once she got close to him.

_Now what?_

Teruhashi considered bailing while she still had the chance. But no. This had kept her up all week. Honestly it ticked her off that he had just come down here to doze off, seemingly without a care in the world. Easy for some.

She spotted a book in the grass next to him.

_Hmm._

She sat down beside him quietly and rummaged through her purse, pulling out a tiny notepad and a pen. She drew her worst angel yet. Goodness, it looked horrid. But it would have to do. She added a coffee jelly to the angel's hand, which did truly look like some mechanical bug now. Hopefully he would tease her about it later. She finished the note off with a heartfelt _"I'm sorry"_ below it and put it with the bookmark in his book.

For a moment she considered leaving it at that and getting out of here before he'd wake. She didn't have that much faith in the healing powers of her stupid sketches though.

She'd been such an idiot for leaning into him like that. She'd been tired and comfortable in his presence and just hadn't really given it any thought. It'd just happened. Granted, she still thought his response had been a little excessive. It's not like she'd tried to kiss him. As if she ever would. She sighed. In another lifetime, maybe.

Why had he freaked out like that though? He thought she saw him as just a friend. He had said so. She wasn't quite sure if she should act on this new piece of information. She still didn't understand how he'd come to that conclusion in the first place.

_Does he think that _I_ friend zoned _him_?_

She smirked. As if.

Teruhashi was playing with her necklace as she watched the snoozing source of her anxiety. Not often did she get the chance to shamelessly study his features like this. Once upon a time she'd found him only average. He was becoming more and more attractive each day though. She wasn't sure if that was him maturing or her feelings for him deepening. Probably a bit of both.

She noticed he was wearing the green shirt she'd picked out for him a week ago. It did look good on him. She'd tried to pay for it, jesting it was her birthday gift for him. She'd been semi-serious, too. Unfortunately he'd refused. Stubborn as a mule, he was. She smiled and wondered if it had been a conscious choice of him to put that shirt on today. You never knew with guys though. Probably not.

She also noticed that his skin was starting to show signs of sunburn. How long had he been lying here in the full sun? She went through her purse again and pulled out the sunscreen that she always carried with her. She may have let her guard down around Saiki, but to the rest of the world she was still the perfect pretty girl. She always came prepared. She held the tube in her hand and took off the top.

_Okay. And then what, exactly?_

She couldn't exactly just start covering him in lotion while he was asleep.

…

No, she really couldn't.

…

* * *

The sensation had been like coffee jelly. Cold and slippery to the touch. It felt refreshing. A real treat in this heat.

Saiki's drowsy mind didn't really question why it was on his forehead.

_Mmmm…_

His mind did start to register a familiar laugh in the far distance. Saiki opened his eyes, squinting from the bright sunlight. He raised his hand to wipe the coffee jelly off his face.

It was not coffee jelly.

Saiki sat up abruptly and stared at the white fluid on his fingertips in confusion. For a moment he wondered in horror if he'd just gotten bombarded by a bird.

"It's sunscreen," a merry voice reassured him. Saiki looked to his side and started when he realized who it was.

"Your skin's burning. Go on, smear it," Teruhashi smiled.

_She… what?_

His half-asleep mind was finally starting to catch up. He slowly moved his hands up to start spreading the cream. It was _everywhere_. Geez.

"Your stealth attack was uncalled for. I don't even get sunburn," he grumbled.

"Maybe as a psychic you didn't. But you were turning into a lobster at a fascinating rate just now." She chuckled. "It's, um, in your hair."

He glared at her. "I'm aware. _Thank you_."

_Really? Just like that?_

"Just how much did you put on?" he complained.

"Too much. Sorry," she laughed. "Put some on your arms as well. You look like a ghost with all that white on your face."

Saiki rubbed the sticky fluid on his arms slowly. This was so weird. Did she forget what happened? Weren't they supposed to be really awkward?

Did she really just break the ice with a bottle of sunscreen?

_She's amazing._

He preferred it this way, really. Even if it meant being assaulted in his sleep with lotion.

"You've just got a bit left under your eye here," she said, pointing at a spot under her own eye. He wiped his face. "No, your other eye, you idiot. You're supposed to mirror me." He scowled at her and tried the other side. She broke into a giggle. "You're hopeless. You missed it. Um… may I?" she asked, her hand hovering in mid-air in front of him.

Saiki looked at her hand, then up at her. He nodded slowly.

She leaned in a bit and softly wiped the last bit of lotion away with her thumb. The sensation tickled his skin. Her hand seemed to halt for a moment… but then she moved back and smiled at him.

"There. You should get out of the sun, though."

He scoffed. "I'm fine."

"Stubborn, more like." Teruhashi got up and brushed some loose grass off her knees. "I have to get going now. Um…" she hesitated for a second. "I'll see you around?"

"I'm leaving to visit my grandparents day after tomorrow," he said, glancing up at her.

"Alright," she smiled. "Maybe, then."

She was like poetry in motion as she made her way to the exit of the park. Saiki couldn't help but watch her as she left. She turned her head back to him just before she was about to disappear around the corner, but she didn't raise her hand to wave, so neither did he. A moment later she was gone.

_Just like that._

He took a deep breath. He felt giddy. With relief, of course. His telepathy hadn't triggered. Not even when she'd touched him. Maybe it really had been just another one-off? He should be safe again. For good now. Surely. It had only been a tiny leak, after all. Hardly worth mentioning. To her especially.

Saiki glanced at the book next to him. Maybe he could actually finish a chapter, now that he felt a bit better. He reached for it and opened it up in his lap. A little note fell out. Saiki picked it up, immediately recognizing what it was.

_That angel looks awful. Even Kaidou could do better._

It didn't matter though. He read over her written words at least 10 times. He frowned.

_She has nothing to be sorry for._

Saiki put the note back in his book and closed it. He should really get out of the sun after all.

* * *

"Let's eat!" the boys shouted, hands pressed together in a praying gesture.

As expected, Saiki had found them on his doorstep on the last day of their holidays to copy his homework. Such a pain. At least they now understood that access to his study materials was only granted after presenting a tray of coffee jelly. It softened the blow of having to deal with them for an entire day. Having honed their copying skills in the weeks leading up to the holidays, they finished in good time though. That was why Nendou had suggested that they go celebrate with a bowl of ramen.

"It feels like forever ago since we've been together with the full group," Kaidou said before digging in.

"Think it was before holidays started?" Kuboyasu replied. "We've been trying to get a date pinned to go do an escape room like you suggested, but everyone's been busy."

"Oh, I caught so many insects though," Nendou declared proudly.

"Oh man, we really should go though. That was so much fun! Right, Saiki?" Kaidou beamed at him. Saiki responded with a single nod.

"Right, you guys went there on that date! I nearly forgot," Kuboyasu grinned. "So have you kissed Yumehara-san yet, huh?" He gently elbowed Kaidou in the side. Kaidou still nearly knocked his bowl over.

"N-no…!" Kaidou stammered, steam coming out of his ears. "H-haven't really s-s-seen her over, over the holidays r-really. S-she did send me some texts."

"Really? Show me," Kuboyasu said, already holding Kaidou's phone in his hand somehow.

"Aren!"

Kuboyasu quickly scrolled through Kaidou's messages. "Man, you really are dense. See how many times she's hinted at meeting up?" Kuboyasu finished with a suggestive whistle. "You've gotta get your act together, dude."

Kaidou snatched his phone from his neighbor's hand. "S-shut up." Kuboyasu chuckled and went back to his meal. They ate in silence for a short while, only occasionally interrupted by Nendou's loud belching.

"So what about you, Saiki? Have you kissed yet?" Kuboyasu suddenly asked slyly.

Saiki choked on his noodles.

"What are you talking about?" he wheezed.

"Duh, Teruhashi-san? There's totally something going on between you two. You lucky bastard."

He was kidding, right? Saiki had to have the worst luck on the planet.

"There's nothing going on. We're just friends." He drank some water to soothe his throat.

"No need to act so coy. We're rooting for you, you know that." Saiki wanted to wipe that grin right off Kuboyasu's face, but he controlled himself. "We're just curious. Tell us!"

"There's nothing to tell. Shut up." He poked around in his ramen bowl with his chop sticks. Good grief.

"Come on man, you hang out all the time. How many times have you seen her over the holidays?"

Saiki shrugged. He'd lost count. Not that he was going to tell them that.

"Didn't you two pass notes to each other in class?" Kaidou asked carefully. The nerve on this guy. He'd only just gotten his normal complexion back.

"Ohh they did, didn't they!" Kuboyasu exclaimed. He and Kaidou sat behind Saiki in class, so they must have seen them do it. "What were they, huh? Love letters?"

Saiki was about to deny that they were, but they were interrupted by Nendou's wailing.

"Ohh ohh… partner's gonna get a new partner… waaahhh!"

_Seriously?_

Kuboyasu smiled at Nendou. "Don't worry about that. You know what they say, bros before h—"

Saiki tried to shut out the blathering of his pain-in-the-ass friends. How many times did he have to tell them? Geez. They were just friends. He drank some broth from his bowl. It felt like holding up a shield, if only for a moment.

"_Why would he think I don't like him anymore though…"_

Saiki winced. He'd been pushing her thought to the back of his mind, hoping it would stay there. He honestly had no idea what to do with that information. When did this get so complicated? He put the bowl back down slowly.

_Does she still have feelings for me?_

Well, even if she did, they couldn't.

Even though his powers were gone. He could lead a normal life now. It was just… not…

Saiki poked at a piece of tofu with his chopsticks. It wasn't exactly hard to get a hold of, but still he'd already dropped it twice. Blasted thing.

…_why can't we?_


	11. Spinning Out of Control

**Author's Note: **Your comments humble me! I wish I could thank everyone personally, but I'll have to do it like this. Sure, we write for ourselves, but we post for others. Every single one of your reviews brings a big smile to my face (think Saiki-receiving-Teruhashi-postcard-style!). Thank you for your love.

Now please keep that love that you have for me in mind when you finish this chapter. :P

Please enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 11 - Spinning Out of Control**

* * *

_He felt her quiver as his fingers slid down the small of her back._

_Her lips were irresistible, but then so was the rest of her. He slowly made his way down her neck, and then lower still. She pulled him close into her bosom. He kissed—_

_**AN-TAN-TAN-TAN-TAN-TAN-TAN-TAN-TAN-TAN-TAN-TAN-TAN-TA-**_

Saiki whacked the alarm clock so hard that it fell off his nightstand. He groaned and rolled onto his back, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes.

Then he remembered what — and whom — he had been dreaming about just a moment ago.

He'd been having more dreams of a suggestive nature lately. They'd only hinted at intimacy before. But this one... There was nothing implicit about this one. It had left _nothing_ to his imagination. That was… they had been…

His heart was throbbing. He was used to that by now. It wasn't just his heart that was throbbing this time, though.

_What's wrong with me?_

This craving was repulsive. What was he, a lecher? A scumbag, for sure. How was he going to keep a straight face when he saw her in school today? Ugh. This was getting _way_ out of hand.

Saiki hurled some more insults at himself before he finally calmed down enough so that he could get up and get ready for school. He felt like shit. Only two weeks into the new semester and he could already use a holiday. This splitting headache was killing him.

* * *

"You're not wearing your necklace today?" Yumehara noticed as Teruhashi was stuffing her books into her bag.

"Ah, no. My idiot brother broke the chain somehow." She'd been furious. Teruhashi wasn't sure if Makoto knew it had been Saiki's gift, but she still suspected foul play. How else would you tear it off with a simple hug?

"I still can't believe he gave you a necklace. That's so romantic," Yumehara squealed. "I do consider that my win. You're basically dating."

"Quiet!" Teruhashi hissed, looking around the classroom. People were leaving as it was the end of the school day, but there were still plenty of potential eavesdroppers around. "And we're not, so I'm hoping you've found yourself a nice wedding dress," she retorted in a low voice.

"Summer isn't over yet officially! You still have a week or so." The dirty blonde winked at her suggestively. "Better get a move on."

"Yeah, like that will make a difference," Teruhashi said sarcastically. Yumehara was standing with her back to the classroom exit, so when Teruhashi turned to look at her friend, she noticed that a certain pink-haired person was already heading down the hallway. He'd been standing with his friends in the back of the classroom just a moment ago.

"Sorry Chiyo, I gotta go. I'll call you tonight, okay?" Yumehara nodded. Teruhashi quickly grabbed her stuff and chased her hasty friend, finally catching him at the school gate.

"If I didn't know you any better, I'd think you're avoiding me," she panted. What was the rush?

"Not any more than usual," Saiki replied flatly, not even turning to face her.

_Yeah, right._

"Weren't we going to Café Mami?" she asked the back of his head.

"Got homework."

"What, biology? That's never stopped you before." He didn't answer.

_What's up with him?_

"Saiki-kun?" She grabbed him by his arm gently and stopped walking, making him stop as well. "Are you okay?" He was looking at her from the corner of his eye now.

He had been yo-yo'ing like this for a while now. He would have great days where he was funny and sweet and a downright tease. The connection with him seemed deeper then, somehow. Sometimes he would catch her staring at him, although that in itself was nothing new. The new thing was that she would now catch him staring back, with this look in his eyes that she'd never seen before. If she didn't know any better, she'd think he was into her. She didn't though, because then there were _these_ days where he was ice-cold and avoidant. And they were happening more and more often lately. It was driving her up the wall. She'd wanted to ask him about it, but she didn't think he'd reply truthfully.

"…yeah. Sorry." His eyes softened a little. "Just a lot on my mind."

"You know I'm here if you want to talk about it," she smiled hopefully. He just gave her a polite nod and turned.

_Well, it was worth a try._

* * *

"Kokomi-chan, that's so delicious!" His mother was pretty much in tears.

_She did it again._

He truly didn't stand a chance against her anymore. Not without his powers. Possibly not even with his powers anymore, either. If he'd still have them.

Saiki was sitting backwards on a chair in their living room, watching the two most influential women in his life put together his favorite dessert. Her being here had had nothing to do with the promise of coffee jelly, though. Seriously. He hadn't caved in this time. She hadn't even suggested it. She'd just followed him home. He had kind of wanted her to, so he hadn't stopped her. Like so often lately. There was something addictive about her presence.

But then he would soon get nervous and he'd want to get away as fast and as far as he could. He could just not get used to his body and mind being in this uncontrollable overdrive. It would happen at the weirdest times and it was seriously starting to freak him out. Saiki rested his head on his arms that were folded across the back of the chair.

It was a goddamn pain in the neck.

"I'm just following a recipe," Teruhashi smiled at his mother. "I've made it for Saiki-kun a couple times now, so I know it by heart."

"Ku-chan's so lucky to have you!" His mother was cupping her own face in pure bliss.

_She should watch her blood pressure. _

"Don't you need to head off soon?" Saiki asked her before she was going to say something even more embarrassing.

"Ah! Yes!" His mother darted around the house to get her stuff. "I'll be out for a while then. Be good now kids~!" And she was gone. Teruhashi chuckled as she finished up. Saiki sighed. His mother meant no harm, but geez.

Unfortunately, Teruhashi's little godly gifts had to be chilled for hours, so they'd helped themselves to some store-bought coffee jelly from the fridge in the meantime. There had only been one left, so they'd shared it. She'd let him have the majority though. She truly was amazing.

Hey, she had insisted.

After that they'd started with their homework. Saiki may have exaggerated the workload a bit — it really wasn't that much, or that hard. Teruhashi was having more difficulty with it than him, and even then he suspected her to play it up just so he would come up with ridiculous examples to explain. He didn't really mind though. He'd abused his little devil persona to illustrate dominant and recessive genetic traits with Punnett squares just now.

"So if _showing_ the glasses is recessive, and both parents don't wear glasses but still — quite literally — _carry _the gene for them…" Saiki drew a pair of glasses hanging out of the two little devils' pockets, "then that means there's still a 25% chance they'll have a little near-sighted baby Satan. You see?" He filled in the square for her, drawing a baby devil wearing a diaper and, of course, glasses.

"Sorry, you lost me at two devils mating," Teruhashi laughed.

Saiki's dream from this morning flashed before his eyes, but he pushed it away quickly. He really could not afford to think about that right now. For various reasons.

"Uh, yeah. That does sound a little weird," he mumbled, trying to focus on his homework again. It was hard.

They continued to do some exercises. Saiki had made sure to sit across the table from her, at a nice and appropriate distance, but then she'd moved next to him when he was drawing out the squares. He couldn't really move away without making a statement that could only be taken the wrong way, so here he was, stuck. Which was problematic, because she was so close that he could pick up a whiff of her scent. It was something sweet that made his heart flutter, just by catching the slightest hint of it.

He glanced at her. She was working on an exercise and absent-mindedly pushed her hair back, exposing her neck. It reminded him of what he'd been doing there in his dream, and now his heart was racing. To top it off, she had noticed that he was watching her, so now she was looking at him too, with that smile that made him forget everything. He averted his eyes, focusing everything he had on the book in front of him. Good goddamn grief.

His telepathy had never picked up any of this craziness from her, back when she would still daydream about him. Was he losing his mind? This couldn't be normal.

"_Is he blushing? I don't think I've ever seen him blush. That's so cute..."_

"It's hot," he huffed. Well, it was. Maybe he should take off his overcoat. She remained oddly quiet though. He glanced at her, only to realize she was staring at him, wide-eyed.

_What's up with her?_

"_Did I say that out loud? No, no I was just thinking it… I would never call him…"_

_No..._

Did it happen again?

"_Can he hear me? Oh God, did he hear me earlier?"_

He wasn't really sure how reassuring it would be to tell her that he hadn't. He tried to keep a straight face while his mind was figuring out what the hell was going on this time.

_Why is my telepathy back again?_

He didn't exactly _want_ it back, but at least it was just that — his telepathy. It was noisy and often way too-much-info, but it could also be convenient. He could deal with just his telepathy being back, he told himself. He should stay calm, it really wasn't the end of the world if that was all—

Then he noticed a grey scale-like pattern was slowly spreading across Teruhashi's face. He looked down. Her hands had already turned to stone.

"S-Saiki-kun? What's happening? I'm so cold…" she asked with a trembling voice.

_No…_

A sense of dread spread through Saiki's body, much like the grey plague that was overtaking Teruhashi.

_No! No! NO!_

He jerked his head away from her and jumped up from his chair, knocking it over. Saiki bolted out of the room. It seemed like he was taking five steps of the stairs at a time. If he was taking any at all. He may have been flying.

_This, this can't be— is she…? T-that was— I need to—_

Saiki stumbled into his room. He dug through the bottom drawer of his desk, throwing everything out on the floor. There they were. In the back, he found them. He fumbled for the green-tinted glasses, nearly dropping them as his hands were shaking so much. He put them on. The green world that he had so _not_ missed was nauseating. Saiki thought he might be hyperventilating. He slumped down on his bed.

It definitely hadn't been at the level that this power had used to be. But he did recognize it all too well. His gaze had started the petrification process. His naked eyes had been turning Teruhashi into stone. He wasn't sure if the process had stopped once he had broken eye contact. He was afraid to go and check though.

He had been so sure his powers had been gone. But were they really? Or were they just dormant at best? There may have been a couple more instances where they had popped up recently, now that he thought about it. That vision with her postcard, had that been psychometry? The gust of wind on her birthday might have been his telekinesis. What about that headache this morning?

_What, does that mean…_

Let's just hold that thought for a second. He shook his head. His powers. Why did they keep coming back? What was triggering the leaks? What was the common denominator here? Saiki racked his brain, trying to work it out. Then it hit him like a truck.

_Is it her?_

He groaned and dug his face into his palms. He felt like tearing his hair out.

It really had been too good to be true. Thinking he might have had a shot at a normal life. With her. He had been a fool for believing it. He wanted to scream.

_We can't._

He knew what he had to do.

* * *

Teruhashi wiggled her fingers. It seemed like her tactile sense was starting to return, now that the greyness had subsided. She touched her face — it felt as smooth and soft as a baby. Well, softer, because it was _her_ face. If this had been his petrifying gaze, then it couldn't have been at full strength.

It wasn't the petrification that worried her. And honestly, it wasn't really the possibility of telepathy either. She'd hate for him to have picked up her thoughts, but she'd deal with it. They had just been a bit embarrassing, really. Maybe him knowing she was still checking him out would fix his incorrect belief that she was not interested in him anymore.

No, she wasn't really worried about his powers returning. She was more worried about her friend. Saiki had looked horrified. This incident must have crushed him.

It may have just been another random leak though. How long had it been since that party? Months? She should go and ease his mind. Was he in his room? She got up from her chair and picked up the other one that he had knocked over on his way out. She felt a bit woozy after that, so she slowly continued to the hall. She walked up the stairs, quiet as a mouse.

She wanted to knock on his door before coming in, but he had left it wide open. She quietly stepped in and found Saiki sitting on the edge of his bed, head in hands. He looked devastated.

"Saiki-kun…?"

There was no response, but his shoulders seemed to relax a little.

She wanted to ask if he was okay, but he obviously was not, so she stood there in the doorway for a moment, looking for the right words. She couldn't think of any.

"I-I um…" She took a couple of careful steps towards him.

"I'm going to sit next to you… if that's okay." It was probably not a good idea to startle him right now.

"…okay."

She quietly sat next to him. She was at a loss for words. They sat in silence for a while.

"I didn't think they'd be coming back at this point." His voice sounded thin. "I'm sorry about what happened downstairs. Are you alright?" He still wouldn't look at her.

"Yes… yes I'm fine. Here, take a look."

It took a moment, but he finally lifted his head and turned a little toward her. He was wearing his old green glasses. He quickly scanned her from top to bottom.

_I love his eyes, but there's something familiar and comfortable about those glasses. It's bittersweet._

Saiki's eyes shot back up to meet hers. Then he looked away.

"Seems they're not at full strength then. Yet," he mumbled.

"It shouldn't hurt, right? The petrification process, I mean." She just wanted to reassure him that it was fine.

"Why, did it hurt you?" He seemed troubled by that idea.

"Ah no, it didn't. It just felt… cold. Like a chill that was spreading. It stopped as soon as you broke eye contact." That was a good thing, right? He appeared in thought. This guy was so hard to read when he put up his walls. Teruhashi pondered for a moment. "Do you think it's gone now? It might not come back, you know. It's been like, nearly three months? Since your powers last leaked at Chiyo's party. This may have really been the last time." She smiled at him, trying to bolster his confidence.

His eyes darkened. "…I can't take that chance."

She wasn't really sure what he meant by that. Maybe he'd just wear his glasses from now on, to be sure?

"Well, at least it's just the petrification this time… right?"

Her voice may have sounded a little bit too desperate there. She had to know if he could hear her thoughts. It was hard enough having to deal with them herself. The most inappropriate thoughts would pop up at the worst times, just because he'd look at her a certain way or because he was close to her when explaining some school work. Or just for no reason at all. She thought she could deal with him knowing, but she'd still much, much rather prefer if he did not.

He watched her for a second. It made her tingle from head to toe. "…yes. Just the petrification."

_I'm imagining you naked right now, Saiki-kun. Singing karaoke._

He didn't even bat an eyelash. Phew.

It was quiet for a moment. Saiki seemed in thought. Then he raised his left arm, pointing his open palm at his desk chair.

_Oh, he's trying to move his chair. _

That made sense. He was probably trying to see if he could use his actively controlled powers again. Not much was happening though. Saiki squinted his eyes, as if he was straining himself.

Then the bedroom door — not the actual chair — slammed shut with an ear-splitting bang.

…

They both sat there like statues, Saiki's arm still suspended in mid-air.

Teruhashi smiled nervously. "...ah..." She turned back to face to him. He dropped his arm slowly until his hand was resting on the bed in-between the two of them. He clenched it into a fist.

"I have no control over them… at all…" he spoke quietly, almost looking forlorn for a second. It tugged at her heartstrings. "Uh… look." He sighed, already trying to recompose himself. He cleared his throat. "We um… we should stop hanging out for a while."

It was like she got struck by lightning.

"…eh?"

_He's kidding, right?_

"I'm sorry. It's not because I don't enjoy your company. It's um… you're just too high profile right now." His eyes were everywhere but with her. "I'm really sorry."

_He's not kidding._

"I… w-what…" she stammered.

"My powers could lash out in public next time. It's too risky with you near me."

Her mind was racing. This couldn't be happening.

_I can't lose him._

"I-I don't think that's necessary…" She would beg him if she had to.

He glowered. "There are way too many eyes on you. You take the spotlight wherever you go, whether you want it or not. I can't be near that right now. I told you last time."

Teruhashi nodded hesitantly. He didn't want to stand out. She understood. But then she didn't understand. He was already in the foreground with her admirers. He had been for years. That wasn't just going to change. Her fan club was doing features on him in their club magazine, last she heard.

_No. There's something else he's not telling me._

He winced. It was subtle and easy to miss, but she'd spotted it.

"What's going on? _Really_ going on? Saiki-kun…" she asked softly.

"I…" He glanced at her before looking away. The panic on his face was quickly replaced by a frown. "…you should probably go." His voice was hoarse.

_What is he so afraid of?_

"Please leave." He wouldn't meet her eye.

_Why is he pushing me away?_

"Talk to me, please?" She put a hand on his shoulder, but he flinched and pulled away from her.

"Just go!" he snapped. She'd never seen him so agitated.

_Let me help you._

Finally he made eye contact with her. His body language was just as conflicted as the expression on his face. He was half turned away from her with his hips, yet opened up towards her with his shoulders. He looked vexed, and helpless, and torn. She wanted to help him, to hold him, to comfort him. Anything, as long as she could stay.

"…no," she whispered.

_I'm not leaving._

The connection she felt through their locked eyes was deep. Intense. She tried to suppress the sudden surge of emotion, without luck. She couldn't help it. He was vulnerable, with so much raw emotion, and endearing, and somehow that made him wildly attractive to her right now.

_Maybe I could…_

She didn't understand where the urge was coming from, so suddenly, but it was overwhelming. She could hardly breathe.

_No. He doesn't need this extra complexity right now. This is not helping him. Control yourself._

He was eyeing her tentatively. For a moment she considered the possibility that he _had_ been hearing every word she'd been thinking. Her heart skipped a beat.

_So why am I doing this?_

Teruhashi brought her hand up to his cheek. She felt him tremble ever so slightly at her touch. He looked anxious, but he didn't pull away this time. She held her breath as she tilted his head with the gentlest tug. He didn't resist. His skin was cool to the touch, with the slightest hint of stubble.

Her body must be moving on its own because she was leaning in. It was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. Was this really happening? Her heart was pounding out of her chest as she closed her eyes. This was it. She softly pressed her lips against his.

One tender kiss. Saiki remained still, neither stopping her nor reciprocating. Teruhashi waited for a reaction from him, their lips almost touching but not. She could feel the warmth of his breath. His quick, shallow breaths were tickling her face. It sent shivers down her spine.

That was the only sign of life she was getting from him though. He wasn't moving. He wasn't saying anything. He was just sitting there, frozen.

Did she break him?

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hate mail and other frustrations can be vented in the text input below —v :P Now excuse me while I'll go enjoy my weekend~ :D


	12. Without Thinking

**Author's Note: **I apologize for leaving my trusty readers hanging — although I do admit I took great joy in reading your frustrations. It was hilarious. Lol. Sorry. I did consider posting an empty chapter for April's Fools yesterday, but I figured that would probably not go down well, so I did not.

I've found this to be the most difficult chapter to write yet. I must have rewritten it like three or four times. You'll probably either love it or hate it. I've tried my best to keep them in character (something I value highly, and I'm sure most of you do too) whilst also being able to progress the plot the way I want it to. It was not easy. Here's my best shot.

Please enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 12 - Without Thinking**

* * *

He shouldn't. He _**really**_ shouldn't.

This was a bad idea. Stop right now. Abort mission.

"_Oh god, is he rejecting me?"_

Saiki had a thousand reasons to reject her. Very logical, very good reasons. He just couldn't think of a single one right now.

He couldn't think at all.

"_Please don't reject me."_

Her kiss had completely wiped his mind. He couldn't think and he couldn't move. His heart was racing a million miles an hour. Maybe she did break him.

Teruhashi was starting to retreat, trying to maintain her composure and failing miserably. Her hand slowly slid off his cheek, tingling his skin. He could feel her resolve shattering. The growing gap between their faces left a chill.

Her lips had been so soft and moist.

_Reasons. Think of the reasons. They were logical._

Logical made no sense to him right now.

It hadn't been a conscious decision to move in and kiss her, but that was what he did.

He would think later.

* * *

Saiki had leaned in to return her kiss. It had been a short kiss — cautious, inhibited and maybe a little bit shy. Like a wordless whisper, _"Are we really doing this?_", despite knowing there was no turning back from this. He'd taken her by surprise, so she had just stared at him with her big blue eyes, her mouth half open in disbelief.

Even her thoughts had been speechless.

But then she'd hesitantly come back for more, and he'd timidly met her halfway. It was a silent, yet unanimous "_Yes. Yes, we are,_" when their lips met again, for longer this time.

Something in his stomach had started doing somersaults. Adrenaline whirled through him when she lingered, their lips brushing. Not for long. Another kiss. Slow, deep, intimate, passionate. Her warmth spread through his entire being, enveloping him like a soft winter blanket. Or maybe that was the sensation of her arms sliding around his neck. He wanted her close, closer still, but his limbs had turned to jelly. She might have known because she reeled him in. Saiki melted into her snug embrace, only barely managing to wrap his arms around her slender waist. If she never let go of him again, it would be too soon.

She tasted of strawberry lip gloss, with a hint of the coffee jelly they had shared earlier. It was intoxicating. The whiff that he'd caught earlier was filling his lungs now. It was the smell of coconut shampoo and some flowery fragrance that she must have put on before school this morning. And then there was this unique scent much sweeter than anything else in the world that could only be _her. _It was subtle, yet inhaling it made him feel euphoric.

Just when he thought their lips would never part again, they did just that. Teruhashi disconnected, breathing fast as she rested her forehead against his own. A little voice at the back of his mind was telling him to stop, so maybe he should. He tried to speak, but he couldn't think, let alone talk. He could only feel, and he was feeling so much that he feared he might drown in it all. He felt a landslide of emotions, the tickle of her nose brushing, her hand in his hair, the texture of her school uniform that he had dug his fingers into. Every touch would send electric currents through him, stop-starting his heart and his breathing.

Evidently his senses had gone haywire.

Maybe that was why he felt like he was overheating. Either that or his pyrokinesis was acting up. Saiki managed to unzip and shrug off his turquoise school uniform overcoat, dropping it on the floor.

In retrospect, he guessed that action might have created a slight misunderstanding between the two of them there.

Because he had felt something tug at him. Glancing down, he realized that she'd started unbuttoning his shirt. He froze. Wasn't this going too far? Where was this going, anyway? That voice at the back of his mind was gaining ground, scorning him for even considering it.

She must have noticed his panic, because one of her hands had found its way back up to his cheek, giving him the softest caress in the universe. She moved in and kissed him so tenderly, turning his insides to goo. Then her kiss deepened, with more desire. His world exploded, smothering the voice of reason. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Everything after that happened in a haze. He may have helped her undress. At least he was now aware that bra closures were impossible and should be banned from the world. In any case, their clothes — _all_ of them — ended up on the floor.

His x-ray vision had shown her naked hundreds of times before, and yet it felt like Saiki truly saw her for the first time there and then.

Good grief, she was so beautiful.

Her arms had found their way back around his neck, like they belonged there. Maybe they did. Maybe her lips belonged against his lips as well. He didn't know anymore. The sensation of her bare skin set him on fire, which made no sense because she was so mind-blowingly soft. He didn't understand _how_. Her lips, her neck, her tummy, her thighs. Her breasts. How could she be so _soft_? Was she made of silk?

He probably should have known where this would lead. That burning desire was overwhelming, and growing stronger with every caress, with every kiss. But his mind was foggy, and this was all so new and unfamiliar to him. So when she climbed on top of him, learning what was on her mind still took him by surprise.

Did she seriously…? With him? Wasn't that… They probably shouldn't…

She bent over and whispered in his ear that she was on birth control. He hadn't even considered… he should have, but… Was this divine intervention? Maybe she wasn't just an angel. She must be a goddess. A slow trail of kisses down his neck and chest took the last of the little self-restraint he had left. This was happening.

And so it happened.

She may really be a goddess. She was breathtaking and enchanting and mesmerizing. He had never experienced anything like this. She was sweet, and soft, and sexy, and warm, and wet, and tight.

She was all he wanted, and he wanted all of her.

She was perfect.

* * *

_What the hell just happened?_

The two youths were both lying next to each other in his bed, facing the ceiling and catching their breath. They just lay in silence, while Saiki's mind was trying to figure out if this really did just happen. In the end it was Teruhashi who broke the silence.

"So um... what was that?" she breathed.

"...I'm not sure."

They both watched the ceiling.

"…I think I was telling you to leave." Saiki mused. He could see her smile from the corner of his eye.

_Right, my powers…_

Finally, at last, a logical thought occurred to him.

_Shit._

This was bad. Really bad. He couldn't get involved with Teruhashi. Not now. Not with these out of whack powers. How was he going to get out of this mess? A kiss — just her kiss — would have been trouble enough. Why did he have to sleep with her?

What was he thinking? Oh right, he hadn't been thinking.

_What have I done?_

"Ku-chan~? You upstairs?"

Saiki catapulted upright. His mother had returned home, and she was coming up.

There was one rock solid truth in this universe, and that was that no teenager ever wants to be walked in on by their parent when naked with a lover. Saiki was in full panic mode. There was no time.

Teruhashi was sitting up now as well, pulling the blanket up to cover her chest. "Saiki!" she hissed at him, as if he was somehow responsible for this. He was obviously only about 2% to blame here. After all _she_ had started it.

There was a quick knock on the door, immediately followed by the door opening.

"Ku-chan, look what I got from the sh-"

There was a soft _whoosh _and the next thing he saw, was pink. Too much pink. …actually it was more like a dirty brown due to the green hue of his glasses, but his brain had already adapted his color perception. Creepy.

"Wha… is this my room?" Teruhashi gasped in awe.

Saiki groaned. "Apparently I teleported us." Luckily their hands had been touching or he probably would have left her behind to deal with his mother.

"Wow… you're amazing, Saiki-kun," she said, still looking around in wonderment. They were sitting on top of her bed, his hitchhiking blanket still covering them. She had lowered the comforter, probably unaware that her entire upper body was in plain view. Or maybe she just didn't care. Saiki felt a sudden heat rush to his face. This was just too damn weird.

"Um… I should go," he croaked. He was about to lift the blanket to step out of her bed, when his eyes spotted the floor. The immaculate floor.

_You've got to be kidding me._

"…my clothes are still at home."

He had no intention of walking home naked, and teleporting back was obviously out of the question right now. Who knew where he'd end up next. Teruhashi let out a giggle. Easy for her, with her wardrobe right next to her. Hilarious.

"Uh, yeah. Same for my school uniform and bag." She smiled at him. "I can probably get you some of my brother's clothes to wear. Don't worry."

"Is he home?" he asked sharply. Saiki did not want to deal with Makoto right now. Ideally not ever. The navy-haired siscon would lynch him for sleeping with his sister.

"Um… no, on Tuesdays my whole family is always out till late."

Well, that was convenient at least. This was complicated enough without having to deal with the rest of the Teruhashi family on top of it all. He just needed to get out of here as soon as possible and figure out how to fix this… clusterfuck. His head was spinning just thinking about it. Now that he could actually _think_ again. He felt overwhelmed.

_Is this even fixable?_

He placed his hand on the cover, intending to lift it so he could get up. Another hand found its way on top of his before he could, though.

"So um…" Teruhashi said in a husky tone, "there's no rush, right?"

Saiki observed her from the corner of his eye. Was she for real?

She slid closer to him until their thighs were touching. He wondered if he was developing a heart problem. It was going bonkers.

_She's not a goddess. She's a demon. A succubus._

He glanced above her. Apparently she'd triggered his favorability meter power just now. Annoying, but harmless. And broken. There were at least one or two digits too many in there. It was supposed to only go up to 99.

His gaze returned to her. How did she manage to suck him in like that with a single look? She was leaning in again, but not for a kiss this time. Her cheek grazed him as she whispered something in his ear, barely audible. His heart skipped a beat. She really was playing dirty now.

_I shouldn't._

Something about this screamed déjà vu to him. Odd. Memories were so fickle when your brain stopped functioning.

Saiki willed himself to turn his head away from her. He should leave. Really. Something was telling him that it would be wise. He was in enough trouble already. Wasn't he? All he could think about was how she was nuzzling his neck right now. It tickled, making him shiver. Her hand, that had been on top of his hand a moment ago, had moved on to his chest. She might be trying to electrocute him with her touches.

Maybe he should stay for just a little bit longer.

He just didn't stand a chance against her. Resistance was futile. She had the upper hand after all.

He might be able to return the dubious favor of that teeth-chattering sensation at least. See how she liked that. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. It felt… natural. She was so warm.

_Could I say no to coffee jelly if she offered me some right now?_

He felt her quiver as his fingers slid down the small of her back.

_It was a stupid question, really._

Her lips were irresistible, but then so was the rest of her. He slowly made his way down her neck, and then lower still. She pulled him close into her bosom. Maybe she did like it. He kissed her chest as he gently pushed her back onto the bed.

_After all, this is better than coffee jelly._

* * *

He was like a fly on the wall as he watched her step out of bed. He might as well be invisible. Maybe he was. She just floated around her room, paying him no mind whilst pulling some underwear out of her drawers. His eyes followed her movements with intrigue as she stepped into her panties and put on a white bra, folding her arms behind her back to close it without giving it any thought whatsoever.

_How._

She was humming as she slipped into the pretty dress that she'd just pulled from her wardrobe. She seemed even more light-footed than usual. It was like watching a reverse striptease. Fascinating.

_Wait. What am I doing?_

Saiki shook his head as he was suddenly overrun by feelings of anguish and guilt. It wasn't just weird, being here, with her. It was wrong. He knew his lack of self-restraint would get him in trouble some day. Although he had never quite pictured this kind of scenario.

His throat felt so tight that he thought he might suffocate. He had to get out of here. He needed to think, which had proven to be impossible with her around. How had he managed to screw this up so much? He shouldn't have given in to his desires. But he had. Twice. He'd gotten closer to her than ever before, when he should have gotten as far away from her as possible. The additional power leaks only confirmed his suspicions. He glanced at the metal trash can next to her desk. Its contents had caught fire while they had been in the middle of… Saiki swallowed. Fortunately there hadn't been much in there, so it had extinguished on its own quickly.

_It's too dangerous._

His stomach tied itself up in knots, killing whatever had been fluttering in there earlier. He clawed into the sheets, clenching his fists until they hurt.

Whatever it was that they had… he would have to put an end to it.


	13. Once Bitten

**Chapter 13 - Once Bitten**

* * *

They'd talk tomorrow. It was all he could muster when they had been staring at each other at her front door. Saiki was on his way home now.

He'd stayed for way too long. It had been a mistake to linger there after that accidental teleport. After that untoward second incident he'd just wanted to get out of there, but it had felt wrong to wear her brother's clothes with his body in that… state, so he'd taken a quick shower first. Words couldn't describe how weird that had been. Using her bathroom. Taking those clothes from her with nothing but a towel around his waist. Maybe it shouldn't feel weird after all that had happened. But it had. He didn't understand how unfazed she had been throughout the whole thing. If anything she'd found it amusing.

Nothing about this was amusing to him though. Everything was so messed up. He didn't know what to think or feel. Nothing made any sense. Least of all her understanding smile. She couldn't possibly understand. He didn't want her to understand. He didn't even understand himself.

The look on her face had been one of sheer bliss. She'd tried to hide her ecstasy once she'd noticed that he was uncomfortable, but her glow wasn't fooling anyone. She'd been singing in her mind. This was what she'd wanted. Probably all along.

But she couldn't. They couldn't. His stomach churned.

_Why did she have to kiss me?_

He wouldn't be in this goddamn mess if she hadn't.

_Why did it feel so good?_

Saiki grimaced. He really did not want to dwell on that right now. It was irrelevant anyway. It would never happen again.

He'd just arrived home, kicking his — well, Makoto's — sneakers off in the hall, perhaps a bit too forcefully. He'd been an idiot — no, a scumbag — for letting it get this far. It shouldn't have. Now he had to pick up the pieces. He'd have to tell her. He just had no idea how to do it without breaking her heart.

He really was a scumbag.

Saiki stepped into the living room, carrying his bed covers and dressed in another man's clothes. He felt overburdened, quite literally.

Their schoolwork had been neatly piled up in the corner of the table. He wondered if his mother had noticed their school uniforms on the floor upstairs when she'd come in. How the hell was he going to explain this? He just stood there, feeling utterly lost.

His mother came in from the kitchen, drying a cup with a tea towel. She eyed him for a moment, with a warm, understanding smile on her face. He was so fed up with understanding smiles.

"Did you have an accident, Ku-chan?"

An accident. A term she'd used for his bed psyching as a kid. She was probably referring to the green glasses he was wearing. He hoped.

"…something like that."

.

* * *

Saiki had left for school at ungodly o'clock the next day. Quite honestly, he had been happy to be out of that bed, as he hadn't been able to sleep a wink anyway. All he could think about was what had happened there.

This whirlwind of conflicting emotions was tearing him apart. He wondered for a moment if it would have been easier if he'd just regretted it. He tried to shut the rest out. It was better if he'd just regretted it.

He still didn't know what he was going to tell her, either.

He was carrying two school bags, as well as an extra bag with her brother's clothes and her school uniform and shoes. He looked like a pack mule, so he hoped he would get through unnoticed before anyone else showed up.

Of course, his usual luck considered, that was way too much to ask for.

"Oh! Partner!"

_Seriously? Seriously._

Saiki halted as his villainous-looking friend caught up to him. What was he doing here at this hour?

"What you doing here at this hour, partner?" Nendou asked him first. Ugh. Saiki eyed him warily. Nendou was dressed in nothing but a big shirt and boxer shorts and was completely covered in black smudges. Was that soot?

"Oh, me?" Nendou asked, pointing at himself.

_Yes, please, do tell, _Saiki nodded, glad to have the question redirected.

"Oh, there was a fire down the street where I live, so I got up and helped bring a couple of kids and their three dogs out," he shrugged. "Then I felt hungry so I went to get ramen, but the shop was closed." He looked gutted.

_Just your everyday hungry hero._

"But partner sure is early today!" that hungry hero rumbled, grabbing one of the school bags and the plastic bag with clothes that Saiki had been holding. It caught him off-guard, so Nendou had them before he could object.

"Partner's haulin' today! Here, let me take some— oh? Teruhashi-san?" Nendou stood still, staring at the label on the school bag in his hand. Then he checked the other bag, pulling out the skirt of her school uniform.

"Oh…?"

_Shit._

That had been really careless of him. Saiki was desperately trying to come up with an explanation for sneaking around with her personal stuff. He literally saw a speech bubble with three dots appear next to the simpleton's head.

**.**  
**.**  
**.**

_It really doesn't need to be a very sound excuse. It's Nendou, for crying out loud. Think of something. Now!_

Nendou's face suddenly lit up with a sinister grin. Saiki gulped. He may have put two and two together anyway.

"Oh! Now I see! Partner's got his glasses back!" The buffoon swung Teruhashi's bag over his shoulder and started walking in the direction of their school. "Contacts suck, huh?"

"…yes. Yes, they do," Saiki agreed. He had no idea if they did, but he agreed wholeheartedly.

Saiki wondered if — for just a moment — he got blessed with a smidgen of Teruhashi's luck. The Gods did love her, after all. This would have implicated her. He took a deep breath and followed Nendou to school. The idiot had completely forgotten about his own questions. He had also forgotten that he wasn't wearing much at all, let alone his school uniform. Furthermore, he did not have his school bag, although that wasn't really anything out of the ordinary. Saiki kept quiet though. As expected, Nendou realized it himself only once they'd arrived at school. He returned Saiki's luggage to him and then left for home again to get properly dressed. Good.

Fortunately the school building was already open. Matsuzaki-sensei always got in ridiculously early, after all. Saiki stuffed the bag with clothes in his locker and then went to their classroom to put Teruhashi's school bag down on the floor in-between their desks. People would definitely be too distracted by her brilliance to notice that she'd be arriving without her bag, so this should do. He would return the clothes later, when there were less people around. And talk to her.

Saiki sighed and shuffled towards the courtyard, intending to kill some time by reading a book. Provided he could keep his mind on it. He hadn't made much progress with his book list the last couple of weeks at all. He kicked away a pebble. She'd really turned his world upside down.

Good grief, he dreaded seeing her again.

.

* * *

She couldn't wait to see him again.

Teruhashi Kokomi was on cloud nine. She still couldn't believe it. After all these years, _finally_. It had been amazing. Kissing him. Making sweet love to him. She wanted to squeal. So she did.

_This can't be real, right? Me and Saiki?_

She'd stopped pinching herself because she was actually creating bruises. She knew for sure now. This was not a dream. Every second of it had been real. They'd connected on a whole different level. Romantically. Sexually. It felt too good to be true.

_But it's true._

She'd been bouncing around her room after he'd left. She was beside herself with joy.

What a rollercoaster it had been though. His power leaking. Telling her they'd have to stop seeing each other. Freaking out over losing him. Her losing control. And then him losing control.

That had really been the best part of it all. Saiki had reciprocated. His kisses, his caresses. The look in his eyes. Her feelings were mutual. Her heart swelled with pure happiness. His affection had filled her with so much love and confidence. Maybe a little bit too much, she thought, feeling her cheeks flare up. She hadn't even realized before just how much she'd wanted him. _That_ much, it'd turned out.

It had been that blood rush that he'd set off inside her. She had acted on the spur of the moment. Maybe it had been too much, too fast? It had kept her up all night, mulling over her actions. Well, when she wasn't being overtaken by glee. It was difficult to feel regret when it had felt so absolutely wonderful. Even if the world would try to make her believe that it was wrong to give herself away like that. Especially for her first time.

But, screw the world. She'd been ready and she'd loved every second of it. She had no regrets.

_Does he though?_

Teruhashi watched herself frown in the mirror as she brushed her hair. She wasn't so sure.

It wasn't like she'd forced him into doing anything. Sure, she had been the one to initiate, but he had followed her lead. Hesitantly at first, but willingly nonetheless. And eagerly, soon enough. He had gotten really quiet afterwards though. Maybe he was just shy? Teruhashi Kokomi was the prettiest girl in the country, so she had not felt any shame once they'd undressed. She knew he'd liked what he'd seen anyway. Besides, he'd already seen her naked tons of times before. She had felt confident and comfortable.

But he hadn't.

He might just have to get used to this though. It had all gone so mind-bogglingly fast. She smiled. He'd been so sweet. She would help him through it.

Or maybe his powers were still bothering him? He'd overreacted about them, after all. It'd just been a tiny little leak. Well, two. No, three. Petrification, teleport, and then that tiny fire. Yeah, he was probably worrying about that. Maybe she could help him with that as well. If he'd let her. He was so stubborn. Carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Her heart fluttered. Just thinking about him gave her goose bumps. She wondered if she could sneak in a kiss at school today, when no one was looking. He'd hate it if she tried, she was pretty sure. Well, on the outside, he would, anyway. But under all those layers… Tee hee.

Then again, when would there be a time that no one was actually looking? People were always looking. Hmm. She probably shouldn't. Not until they were officially…

_What are we now, anyway?_

She didn't really know.

Teruhashi straightened the bow on her uniform. It was a good thing she had a pair for every day of the week. He could teleport them away from their clothes all he wanted — she was prepared. She smirked as she danced down the stairs to get breakfast.

"Kokomi~! My darling sister, you're _sparkling _today!" her brother exclaimed as soon as she entered the living room. His hug was way too tight, but she let it slide this time. Her mood could not be ruined today.

Maybe she should thank Makoto for his insistence with regards to her being on birth control. She giggled. Better not. He'd been desperate. His reasoning for wanting her on the pill had never really made much sense to her. It was to protect her, sure. But from whom?

Oh well, it had worked out for her, so she had no complaints.

"Thank you, onii-chan," she whispered, returning his hug.

.

* * *

"Hey Saiki, contacts were irritating your eyes huh?" Kaidou assumed as he walked into the classroom. "I did hear about the Dark Reunion releasing a new type of poisonous gas. We might have to up our protective eye gear."

"Yes, they were irritating my eyes." Saiki was sitting at his desk, trying to look busy by reading a book.

"SAIKI-KUN! Why are you wearing your glasses? Don't give up!" Hairo was being too loud so early in the morning. What a pain.

Kuboyasu had a different take on the matter. "Yo Saiki! Too much trouble huh, to clean those contacts?"

Saiki sighed. "Yes, way too much trouble." He wasn't in the mood for this nonsense today. He eyed the classroom door anxiously. She was late.

Yumehara was sitting on Teruhashi's empty desk. Probably because it was so close to Kaidou's. "Why spend your money on contacts when you can buy coffee jelly instead, right Saiki-kun?" she giggled.

He nodded. Who would?

A sudden commotion from outside the classroom caught their attention. The preceding waves of _offu_ were impossible to ignore, resounding all the way down the corridor. People in the room gathered at the windows facing the corridor, trying to catch a glimpse.

"_Offu!_ Teruhashi-san's taken her beauty to a whole new level!"

"_Offu!_ It's like she got an upgrade!"

"_Offu!_ My own life just got an upgrade from seeing her!"

Saiki gritted his teeth.

_Here she comes._

His sweaty hands were gripping the book that he hadn't managed to read a single page of yet. Geez. He put it down and wiped his hands on his legs quickly. He could hear his own heartbeat over all the hubbub. He took a deep breath and picked up his book again. Poker face mode on. He was ready for battle.

Saiki could see Teruhashi enter the classroom from his peripheral vision. Yumehara hopped off the desk and ran over to her, meeting her at the doorway. He heard them exchange quick greetings as his eyes were attempting to burn holes into the novel in front of him.

"Wow! There's something different about you today, Kokomi. It's like you're glowing," he overheard Yumehara say with a teasing voice.

_Tch. She's always glowing._

Granted, her aura did seem especially bright today. It was lighting up the entire room. Maybe he should have brought sunglasses instead. Saiki flipped a page he didn't actually read.

The girls were making their way over to Teruhashi's desk. "Hey, how come you didn't call me yesterday? You said you would," Yumehara asked as they passed Saiki's desk.

"Ah, I completely forgot. Sorry, I got um… absorbed in something," the bluenette responded, glancing back at him. He knew she was because he'd looked up at her. It'd been that whiff of her sweet scent as she passed his desk that had caught him off-guard.

It'd been a huge mistake to make eye contact with her.

It was like he got trapped in a deadlock. All he could do was stare at her. It wasn't even because of her looks, although she did look more beautiful than ever today. There was something else about her that drew him right in.

Maybe it was the way she smiled at him.

Saiki sensed something brushing his fingers. He finally managed to break away from her gaze — only to find a revolting porn magazine in his hands. Saiki jumped and stuffed the dirty thing away in his bag. A moment later he heard Toritsuka yelp from the corridor.

_What the hell?_

Did she just trigger his apport with a simple smile? This was even worse than he'd thought. He glanced around nervously. Teruhashi was giggling, but other than that he didn't think anyone had noticed. Yumehara seemed more preoccupied with her friend.

"Is the wedding off then?" he heard Yumehara say as she walked to her desk in the back.

_What on earth is she talking about?_

Saiki tried to focus his thoughts on all the different ways he could punch Toritsuka for leaving him with that filth, but in truth his mind was with his neighbor. She'd just sat down at her desk with a soft-spoken greeting to him, and a thank-you for bringing her bag. He could only nod in response, keeping his focus ahead of him. He needed to calm down before she triggered anything else. Powers or otherwise. His heart was pulsing in his ears.

"_He looks just as frightened as yesterday, before I kissed him."_

_Frightened? _

He scoffed. Nonsense. Well, telepathy might not be too bad. He could use it to outmanoeuvre her.

"_What an evening though…"_

_Is she seriously going to…?_

Her memories of their encounter started flooding into his mind. Even though they were just words, they were very descriptive. Very visual.

_She is. Right here in class._

He glanced at her. She was staring into space, resting her head on her hand. Her cheeks were rosy.

_Seems I'm getting rave reviews._

He should probably tell her about his telepathy being back. Listening to her was torture. He didn't need to relive those moments. Especially not from her point of view. He didn't want to be reminded how amazing it had been. Or know that it had been the same for her.

Saiki sat back in his chair, trying to slow down his murderous heart rate.

_What am I going to tell her?_

* * *

"Where do you want to go?" Teruhashi asked him softly. Suggestively. Saiki had just returned the bag of clothes to her, stuttering an apology about not washing them. His mother hadn't asked any questions, but she'd known something was up. He didn't want to raise any more suspicion by suddenly doing laundry.

They'd just left the school gates. Teruhashi had followed him, as expected. Saiki glanced around. Seemed like they were alone.

"Here is fine," he replied abruptly. He couldn't risk them being in the comfort of their own homes. A public space was better.

"…eh?" She looked at him questioningly. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, hiding his clenched fists.

_This is it._

Saiki halted. "We um… we need to talk."

Teruhashi stopped as well, giving him the sweetest smile. "Look, I get that it's all very weird—"

"We can't do this," he blurted out. Wonderful, smooth, tactful delivery, just as he'd intended. _Not_. Her smile faded immediately.

"W-wha…?" she stammered.

"My powers are out of control. It's too dangerous."

He couldn't possibly tell her that she was the cause of the leaks in the first place. She would draw conclusions that he wasn't prepared to admit, yet. Not even to himself. Plus, she wouldn't leave him alone, if she knew. "Y-you shouldn't even be near me. For your own sake. I might kill you next time." He was grasping at straws here.

She had gone white as a ghost. His stomach roiled.

"I… w-what…" Her eyes were darting around anxiously. For some reason his telepathy wasn't active right now. It was probably for the best.

Teruhashi paused for a moment, shaking her head and taking a deep breath. "You're… you're afraid. I get it. You have good reason to be. But… t-that doesn't mean… we can still…" She almost sounded collected, if not for the tremble in her voice.

_Please don't make this harder._

"I'm not afraid," he interrupted. "I just need to be alone. And not near you."

He wasn't afraid. He was terrified.

"B-but… w-what, what about yesterday…?" she asked quietly, desperately, finishing her sentence in a barely audible whisper. She reached for his face, but he pulled away.

"It was a mistake," he forced out of his constricted throat. The hurt on her face cut right through him. "I'm… I'm sorry."

"A… a mistake?" Her lip quivered.

_I'm so sorry._

Her eyes were getting watery. "It… didn't feel like a mistake to me."

_Please, no tears._

"Did it feel like a mistake to you?" she asked, her voice brittle and cracking. He glanced away.

"…yes."

It wasn't really a lie. Maybe it hadn't felt like a mistake at the time. But now it did.

It also felt like a mistake saying this to her. Saiki tried to swallow. His throat was too dry. Her eyes were not. Tears had started rolling down her cheeks.

"Am I just a one-night stand to you?" she asked bitterly.

_No._

He couldn't bear to look at her anymore. The anguish on her face was ripping him apart. This was all his fault.

"…I'm sorry."

He didn't know what else to say. There was nothing he could do to ease her pain, and seeing her like this felt like evisceration. His eyes were stinging.

He stepped away from her. He had to get out of here before he changed his goddamn mind.

* * *

"_It was a mistake."_

Teruhashi buried her face in her pillow, her shoulders shaking from her sobbing. She wanted to scream. Makoto had finally left his post outside her bedroom door though, so she tried to muffle the noise of her crying as best as she could.

It hurt_ so much_.

She thought she had him. But then he'd slipped right through her fingers.

_Why? Why?!_

Why did she have to fall for an unstable ex-but-not-ex-psychic? Of all the guys she could have picked, she had to choose the one that did not want her. She clung to the pillow, bawling.

Maybe he should just kill her. He basically ripped her heart out anyway. She was sad, and angry, and confused. She wanted to punch him. What a dick mov—

Teruhashi heard a soft thud coming from her desk. She looked up from the warm comfort of her pillow.

"Mana-chan!" she scolded the cat that was sitting atop her desk. It had knocked over the bag of clothes that her cursed… "_friend_" had returned to her today. The clothes were scattered across the floor now. She groaned loudly, wiped her snotty nose on her sleeve and got up. Mana-chan had jumped off the desk and was now rubbing along her legs, meowing indignantly. Teruhashi picked her up.

"Sorry," she apologized. Petting the purring feline helped in slowing down her gasping for air. She hugged the pretty cat for another moment before putting her back down on the floor. Teruhashi tossed her school uniform in the laundry basket and picked up her brother's shirt. It had been a size too big for Saiki. Everything had been. She fingered the fabric absent-mindedly. The baggy look had done him no justice, and still he'd looked cute. She brought the shirt to her face and inhaled deeply. It smelled of… shirt. Typical.

She picked up the rest of the clothes and dumped it all in the basket. She was about to put away the bag, but then she realized it wasn't empty. She fished out a leftover sock. What was it with socks not wanting to be in pairs when they were destined to be together? The irony.

_Wait, what's that?_

She reached into the bag and pulled out a piece of paper. She recognized it immediately. Her eyes welled up again, a sob escaping her sore throat.

"_I'm sorry"_

It was her angel note that she had drawn for him in the park that day.


	14. Twice Shy

**Author's Note: **Thank you so much, again, for your kind words. And here I feared that last chapter would be too boring.

I originally intended to finish this chapter on a cliffhanger halfway, but because of your love, I'm going to be nice and give you a nice long chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 14 - Twice Shy**

* * *

_What a dreary day._

Saiki watched the rain pour down through the window. The change of seasons had never bothered him much before — he just didn't really care — but for some reason he hadn't been thrilled about autumn hitting with all its gloomy might.

It resonated a little too well with his own mood lately.

He took a sip of his lukewarm coffee. He'd been trying out different cafés. They all sucked. Not even the coffee jelly in this place was satisfactory. Not much was, nowadays.

Other than that, life had gotten pretty much back to normal though.

It'd just been a little infatuation. Not even that, really. He'd just mistaken their friendship for something more. But that was over now. Not much was left of the friendship, either. They didn't hang out anymore. Obviously. No more texts. No more notes. Talking to her was really awkward, so he avoided it as much as he could. Just seeing her in school was difficult enough. She was such a major part of their group of friends now, together with Yumehara, so dodging her was quite a challenge at times. Especially because she had instantly re-equipped her perfect pretty girl armor. To the rest of the world, everything was just peachy. Truly nothing could faze this woman. Saiki ignored the flutter in his stomach. He had always been impressed with her recovery skills. It meant nothing.

Maybe that was why she hadn't put up much of a fight when he had told her that they couldn't be together. No fight at all, actually. That had been the biggest shock, really. Saiki wasn't sure if he would have been able to deal with a full-on Teruhashi assault, so he was relieved that she hadn't.

Maybe she was really over him now. She had enough reason to hate him. He had been an absolute jerk to her.

"_Am I just a one-night stand to you?"_

Saiki grimaced, putting the coffee cup down with a bit too much force, spilling some onto the saucer.

It had been the right decision though. He'd gotten what he wanted. With her out of the picture, his powers were back in check. There had been no more leaks once everything had calmed down. He was just an ordinary, boring high schooler yet again. Yes. This was what he'd wanted. It wasn't really any lonelier than the time before she'd truly entered his world, either.

He just didn't remember it being this lonely.

"_It must have been alienating."_

She'd called it, that night of the party. Saiki pushed away his half-finished coffee jelly. He wasn't feeling very well.

_Alienating, huh._

It was for the best though.

"Kusuooooo~! There you are!"

_Ugh._

"I kept trying to find you at that café where you always used to hang, but you're like, never there anymore? I actually had to scry to find you, y'know?" Aiura sat down in front of him, placing her GPS crystal ball next to her on the table.

_Too many memories there._

"What do you want?" Saiki grumbled. She'd stuck to the background so much that he'd nearly forgotten that she even existed.

Aiura gave him a playful grin. "Well, I'll start with that coffee jelly. That shit looks dope~!"

Saiki rolled his eyes and pushed the jelly glass in her direction. Aiura's lower jaw nearly dropped on the table. "…I'm not hungry," he explained, clicking his tongue. Geez.

"Whaaaaaaat? Okay Houston, we _do_ have a problem," she concluded from his first act of kindness in a long time. He watched her as she helped herself to his dessert. He really hadn't been able to finish it. That had been a first.

_Maybe I do have a problem._

"So… how are your powers then?" she suddenly asked, out of nowhere.

_Just how much does she know?_

Saiki narrowed his eyes. "You may have missed the memo. They're gone."

The fortune teller was eyeing him as she suckled on the spoon suggestively. "Uh-huh," she taunted.

"What _do_ you want?" he sighed, exasperated. This was exactly the reason why he had _not_ missed her company. He'd never been able to figure out why she had been acting so weird since he'd lost his powers.

"Just checking up on my favorite PK Academy Psychiker~" she replied, winking.

"_Ex-_Psychiker." Let it be known that he never actually was a part of that nonsense though.

"You say that, but…" Aiura put a finger to her lip, looking pensive. "That good-for-nothing other Psychiker _did _mention something about an inconvenient book swap not too long ago…"

Saiki scoffed. He knew it would only be a matter of time before they figured that one out. "That was just a one-off. An isolated incident."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Was it, though? Kickass glasses, by the way."

_She knows a lot._

He folded his arms across his chest. "It won't happen again. Don't get your hopes up," he huffed.

He thought she was going to continue pestering him, but she just smiled and returned to the coffee jelly in front of her. She carefully scooped the last bits out of the glass. Once she was finished, she folded her arms across her chest as well, leaning onto the table. She was looking at him weirdly.

"No fire without a spark, Kusuo," she finally spoke, gently.

_Too much. She knows too much._

Saiki took a sip from his now cold coffee. It was disgusting. "…why would I want a fire?" he asked her in return, after a pause.

"It's written in the stars."

_What is, exactly?_

Saiki smirked. "So was a certain volcanic eruption."

"You shouldn't fight it. Not all fires need dousing." Who was she, his therapist?

He glowered at her. "I'll pass. Play with fire, get burned."

"Maybe. Do wizards get burned?" she asked casually.

_Wizards?_

He didn't like what she was hinting at. At all. Saiki looked away from her, in the direction of the window. It was storming outside now.

He would not — could not — allow sparks. It would create a wildfire, untameable and scorching.

He did not think he would be able to extinguish it a second time.

* * *

"Oh, they have a 6-person one here in the neighboring town!" Kaidou exclaimed as he smeared his grubby finger all over the computer screen.

Saiki sighed, trying to focus on his homework. Much like his parents and their inability to knock properly before entering his room, he had deemed it impossible to convince Kaidou to just _point_ at his monitor, without actually _touching_ the screen.

The guys had invited themselves over at his place again, and they were being a thorough pain. But, to be fair — he preferred it over being alone right now. The distraction was a welcome one. They were supposed to be doing homework, so here he was — doing homework at the short-legged table in the middle of his bedroom, while the other three were looking into escape rooms at his desk. Of course. What else.

"Oh, we have to help six people escape then?" Nendou gave him a thumbs up. "Just leave it to me, chibi" he said with a grin.

"No, you idiot. _We_ are the ones that will escape," Kaidou spat back in annoyance. After all he was a true escape room veteran now, with one whole escape under his belt.

"But we're not locked up?" Nendou scratched his head. "Oh, or is this another of those Dark Reunion games again? Ohh…"

"THE DARK REUNION IS REAL!" Kaidou yelled, slamming the desk with his fists, then whimpering because he hurt himself doing just that.

"Guys, chill out," Kuboyasu laughed. "It's just a game that you can play with six people max, Nendou," he explained. Then he looked at Kaidou. "Why six though? We're with four."

Kaidou's face turned as red as the color of his eyes. "W-well I-I thought, thought w-we could g-g-g-go w-with the, with the girls…"

Saiki pressed the tip of his pencil down so hard that the lead snapped.

_Absolutely not._

"Oh, nice thinking Shun!" Kuboyasu winked and gently patted him on the shoulder. By now he knew to watch his strength, it seemed. "Let's do that!"

Saiki got up to get his pencil sharpener from his school bag. He would _not_ be joining her in another escape room. It would be way too awkward. They might not even be in this situation now if it hadn't been for that disastrous double date. It had all gone downhill from there.

He wasn't really sure how to get out of this activity with them, though. He'd already agreed he would come. He needed distractions. Saiki knelt down next to his bag and rummaged through it while he was trying to come up with an excuse to skip anyway.

"Oh, I don't think partner wants the girls along, though," Nendou said suddenly. Saiki flinched. Nendou may really be the true psychic of this series.

"Huh?" Kuboyasu turned his gaze to Saiki. "Is that true?"

Saiki obviously didn't want them to, but he wasn't sure if there was really a right answer here. He fished out the sharpener at last and put his pencil in, ignoring the ex-delinquent's question.

Nendou shrugged. "He never hangs out with Teruhashi-san anymore. Right, partner?"

An uncomfortable silence filled the room. Saiki kept his focus on the sharpener, turning the pencil slowly and with the utmost precision.

_Krrrt-krrrt-krrrt_. Since when did sharpeners get so loud.

"Um… did something happen between you two?" Kuboyasu asked him carefully.

_Oh, I just slept with her and then I dumped her the next day because she triggers my psychic powers. Nothing unusual._

Saiki shrugged. What the hell was he supposed to answer here.

"Did she… uh, say no?" Kuboyasu just couldn't drop it.

He could probably kill someone with this pencil now, it was that sharp. A certain someone came to mind. He clutched it, nearly snapping the entire thing in two.

"…yes," Saiki responded after a moment, quietly.

It was the least he could do for her. He could take the hit. It wouldn't make sense to the guys, the other way around. This was _the_ Teruhashi Kokomi they were talking about. No one in their right mind would ever consider rejecting her. No one except a volatile esper, maybe. And even that might be a stretch.

On the plus side, this should get them off his back. And not force him to be around her any more than he already had to be.

"Aw man, sorry to hear." Kuboyasu scratched his head uneasily. "She shouldn't have lead you on like that. That's cold."

"It's fine," Saiki muttered as he got up and returned to his schoolwork.

"Partner will always be my partner," Nendou rumbled reassuringly.

"Alright, let's go with four then," Kaidou smiled, with just a tad of disappointment in his voice.

_Sorry, Kaidou._

* * *

"See you tomorrow, guys," Teruhashi smiled sweetly at the gaggle of suitors that had gathered around her locker.

"They sure do love you," Yumehara said as they started walking home together. "Granted, you _are_ giving them a lot of attention, lately."

"Hm, you think?" Teruhashi said, feigning ignorance as she brushed back a lock of hair.

"It wouldn't have anything to do with what happened with… Saiki-kun, would it?" her friend asked carefully. Teruhashi froze.

"Eh?"

_How does she know?_

"Oh no, is it true?" Yumehara stared at her. "I can't believe you didn't tell me! I thought I was your friend…" She looked genuinely upset.

"I… I'm sorry…" Teruhashi stammered. How could she possibly have told her? It hurt too much to even just think about it.

"I don't get it though? I thought you liked him? And you're wearing his necklace again…" Yumehara pointed at the angel pendant around her neck. Teruhashi had bought a new chain for it. She wasn't really sure why she was still wearing it, but she somehow felt naked without it.

"W-what…?" Teruhashi asked. What was she talking about?

"You rejected him, right?" Yumehara responded.

"Huh?"

The girls just stared at each other in confusion.

"W-what did you actually hear?" Teruhashi asked.

"Well, Kaidou-kun said that Saiki-kun said that… you said no…"

_Saiki told him?_

"U-uh…"

_But why did he tell him _that_?_

"You didn't?" Yumehara asked.

"It's… it's complicated," Teruhashi resigned. Well, it was.

Yumehara was looking at her questioningly. "…what happened, Kokomi?"

Teruhashi looked away from her friend. She couldn't possibly tell her what had actually happened. She felt Yumehara scanning her face. Then she heard her gasp loudly.

"OH—MY—GOD! YOU DIDN'T!" she exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand. Her eyes might pop out of her eye sockets at any moment, they were that big. Teruhashi panicked.

_Oh no, is it that obvious?_

"YOU KISSED HIM!" Yumehara shrieked.

"…oh. Yes. Yes, we kissed…" Teruhashi admitted with a sigh.

_Phew._

"How? When? Tell me!"

"Uh, a couple of weeks ago? It doesn't matter though…"

"_It was a mistake,"_ his voice rang in her mind.

"…it was a mistake," she continued with a thin voice.

"Huh? A mistake? Didn't you like it?" Yumehara was looking at her dumbfounded.

"N-no, I did…"

_I loved it._

"…but…?" Yumehara seemed genuinely puzzled.

"…but… he's not…" What on earth was she supposed to say here?

Teruhashi swallowed. "...u-uh... He's not... ready to… commit… I guess." Well, it was not untrue.

"Hm, commitment issues, huh," Yumehara mused, furrowing her brow. "I guess that's why he used to be a bit of a loner?" That also wasn't necessarily wrong. Yumehara seemed in thought for a moment before her eyes lit up again. "So you've been trying to make him envious, huh? That might work."

"Eh?"

"With your admirers?" Yumehara clarified.

"A-ah, no. That doesn't bother him anyway. I've just left him alone after… that…" It had hurt too much to do anything else. Dealing with her fan club had just been a way of keeping her mind occupied. And maybe straighten out the dents in her self-esteem just a little.

"Wait, what? No Kokomi, you must fight for your man!" Yumehara raised a fist. "If anyone can do it, it's you! Don't let him get away!"

"Hmm…" Teruhashi gave her a non-committal shrug. She wasn't sure she could deal with the heartache of another rejection.

Teruhashi suddenly felt two warm arms around her. "I'm so sorry that you've had to go through this alone. You must have been devastated," Yumehara said sweetly, giving her a tight hug.

Teruhashi smiled, returning her hug. "Thank you, Chiyo."

Yumehara give her one more tight squeeze before she let go. "He just might need a little convincing. Don't give up just yet!" She chuckled. "Also, does that mean that you hooked up before summer ended? So I did win that bet, then."

Teruhashi smirked. "Technically yes. But you never proposed. So I guess that makes us even."

"Hm, we _are_ texting a lot now, though!" Yumehara giggled, before continuing eagerly in a loud whisper, her mouth behind her hand as if telling a secret. "But keep me posted about Saiki-kun! I want to know _everything!_"

Teruhashi chuckled at her. No way that she would, but Yumehara didn't mean badly. Which reminded her. "Oh, Chiyo… please don't mention any of this to Kaidou-kun, okay? I don't know why Saiki-kun said that… but he must have his reasons." Yumehara nodded as they continued on their way home.

_Just needs a little convincing. Right._

* * *

The heartbreak had been too much to bear. Life had carried on though, unfair and brutal as it was. So she had resorted to doing what she did best: pretend she was perfect. Perfectly happy. People had been none the wiser.

Meanwhile, Saiki had done what he did best: pretend he didn't care. He had made a pretty good effort, too. He nearly had her believe his facade. But then she would see him tense up when she sat down next to him in class. Or she'd catch him glancing at her when they were with their group of friends. There would be this fleeting look in his eyes that resonated with her all too well. Grief. Agony. Heartache. Right before he'd put on his usual blank expression again.

It killed her to see him like that. He was hurting and there was nothing she could do. He had made himself perfectly clear, after all. He didn't want her around.

Her eyes started welling up again. Oh, for crying out loud, not _again._ She choked back the tears as she hugged her cat tightly. Mana-chan meowed in protest, so she loosened her grip quickly. Teruhashi was in her bedroom, trying to drown in the pillows on her bed. She'd been doing that a lot, lately.

How much could you miss someone you see almost every day?

_Too much._

She sighed. There was just so much about him to miss. His friendship. His relentless humor. His silent but comfortable presence. His stupid notes. His kindness hidden under all those layers of indifference.

She missed his smile.

Who would have thought that her stubborn quest for a simple _offu _would end with a broken psychic and two broken hearts?

_Does it really have to end here?_

She petted her cat with slow, long strokes. She shouldn't get her hopes up. He had already made up his mind.

_Is it really so broken that it can't be fixed?_

She wondered how his powers were nowadays. It had been a while. They might have disappeared again. Maybe for good this time. She still didn't understand why he had reacted so extremely over a couple of tiny leaks.

_Maybe I should ask him._

She felt giddy. Just the thought of interacting with him again filled her with excitement. Even if they couldn't be lovers… maybe they could remain friends. Right now she would settle for anything. It would all be a vast improvement over this misery. She would even forgive him for having been an asshole to her. She already had, anyway.

_Can we go back to what we were before?_

She _really_ shouldn't get her hopes up. He would probably just turn his back on her again. Let her know that her company was not wanted. Reaffirm that it had been a mistake.

It was all nonsense though.

She knew he cared for her. It had been the volatility of his powers that had scared him off. Made him cut all ties with her. It had obviously hit him hard.

Teruhashi gently nudged the cat off her lap and got up. She went downstairs, grabbed her coat and yelled that she was going out. It was raining, but she didn't care.

_Maybe I can convince him._

* * *

_Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all._

How were they supposed to go back to being just friends when her heart skipped three beats from just seeing him open the door?

She had startled him with her unannounced visit. Saiki was eyeing her uneasily now, probably contemplating if he should just close the door on her.

"Hi…" she managed after a long, awkward silence. She should have brought an umbrella. She was soaked.

He didn't respond. He was just staring at her with those alluring violet eyes.

_Wait. Violet?_

He wasn't wearing his glasses.

_Maybe his powers are under control again?_

"Um… I was wondering if you'd like to work on that science project…" They'd been assigned to another two-person project together last week. He hadn't been thrilled, and she wasn't sure what to think of it. Maybe the gods were playing tricks on them again. Either way, it was the worst excuse in the world, and he would definitely call her out on it.

"…it's not due for another month," he finally spoke, matter-of-factly.

"I must have gotten the date wrong then," she said sheepishly. She wasn't even sure why she was pretending.

"Um… can I come in?" she asked hopefully. Most people would not leave a drenched high school girl out in the rain, but then again, this was Saiki Kusuo. He was obviously not happy with her visit. He looked worried, holding onto the door as if it was shielding him from her.

"…please?"

* * *

_What is she doing here?_

Saiki had been watching rubbish on TV when the door bell rang. He had considered not answering it out of sheer laziness, but his mother was expecting a delivery.

He should _not_ have answered the damn door.

"Um… can I come in?"

Could he decline? He eyed her up and down quickly. She was completely soaked, and it was windy and freezing. Was this a part of her master plan? _"Let me in or I'll develop pneumonia on your behalf?"_

"…please?" she begged. Good grief.

_I'll probably regret this._

Saiki sighed and turned around, leaving the door open for her. She could let herself in. He heard her step inside behind him, muttering a thanks and closing the door quietly. He went to go and fetch a towel from the bathroom upstairs, leaving her in the hall without a word.

She was waiting for him in the middle of the living room upon his return. Her coat had held up okay in that rain, although he did notice a couple of wet patches on the sweater she was wearing. Her hair was dripping and her face was pale, except for the redness of her cheeks from the exposure to the rain and wind. Her skirt and tights must be wet as well, but there wasn't much he could do about that. Saiki felt something stir in his stomach. He averted his gaze quickly and threw the towel in her direction. Right in her face. Oops.

"Woah. Um, thanks," Teruhashi yelped as she caught it and started drying her hair.

Saiki slumped down on the far end of the sofa, as far away from her as possible. He wondered if he could get away with just watching TV for the length of her stay. It was most unlikely, but he was going to give it a shot anyway.

His gut was telling him that she wanted to talk, though.

"Um, so..." she started, taking a seat way too close next to him.

_She wants to talk._

She had draped the towel around her neck, her hair uncharacteristically messy. She looked like she'd just come out of the shower. Saiki noticed his heart rate picking up.

He should have grabbed his glasses while he was upstairs. He didn't really bother with them anymore at home. There was no risk unless she was around. All the more reason not to meet her eye right now.

"Look, I understand why you've been avoiding me," she said with a surprisingly steady voice.

"I'm not avoiding you," he lied. He could feel her roll her eyes.

"I don't want uh… y'know, what happened… to jeopardize our friendship though." He glanced at her, even though he'd just told himself not to. She was fidgeting with the sleeve of her cream-colored woolen sweater. He liked the look of that thing on her. The snug fit complemented her figure.

_Don't get distracted._

He tried to keep his focus on the TV. He didn't really know what to respond to her. Was she delusional?

She cleared her throat. "So I was uh, hoping we could go back to that, maybe."

_She must be delusional._

"My powers have been too unstable for that," he replied quietly. He changed the TV channel with the remote, even though it didn't really need changing. He wasn't following anyway.

"We don't have to stop hanging out because of your powers. Your reasoning makes no sense." She was getting upset now.

"It makes sense to me." His response may have been a bit curt. She didn't know the full story, so of course it made no sense to her. She didn't have to huff at him though. Then she was silent. Maybe she was sulking.

_What was she thinking, coming here?_

It annoyed him. How could they possibly go back to what they were before? Let's just act like nothing happened. Let's just forget about it. Right.

How could he forget? He was thinking about it all the time. About her. His throat felt thick. Her presence was making his heart race again. She was so close. He should probably ask her to leave, but he remembered where that had got him the last time he had done that.

"Um..." She had folded her arms, rubbing herself. Was she cold? "Aren't your powers gone now though? You're not even wearing your glasses." She sounded almost optimistic. Hopeful.

She was so wrong though. He felt awful that he couldn't tell her. His gaze remained fixed on the TV. "They're not," he muttered grimly. "I um... I just took them off because I'm home alone." It was a white lie.

"Oh..." Optimism gone.

She started fiddling with something around her neck. Was that the necklace he'd given her? Why on earth was she still wearing that? Maybe that was why he couldn't hear her thoughts. It had germanium in the pendant, after all. He wasn't sure why he had ever thought that would be a good idea.

"Um… any idea what's causing the leaks?" she asked cautiously.

_Yes. You are._

He shook his head.

"And… and there's no way that… despite all that, that we—"

"No," he cut her off abruptly. He didn't want her to say it. He didn't want to hear it.

"Don't you…" Her voice was wafer-thin. "Don't you want to?"

He wasn't sure what she was referring to, exactly. It mattered not. He couldn't, even if he wanted to.

"I told you we can't," he said softly, with an unintentional quiver in his voice.

"I know," she said just as softly. "That's not what I'm asking."

He glanced at her nervously before returning his gaze to the TV. "It doesn't matter what I want."

"To me, it does," she breathed. "Don't you… want to find a way?" She put her hand down on the sofa next to him. Saiki shifted, his heart in his throat. Good grief.

"There is _no_ way," he said irritably. She remained silent after that.

He should really ask her to leave. He didn't like the direction in which this conversation was going. At all. She was making him anxious and frustrated, with her questions and her presence. Did she not consider that he had already thought through his options? There were none. Geez.

The only option he had was distance. He had been fine with enough distance.

"Um, Saiki-kun?" she said, suddenly sounding really unsure. He pried his eyes away from the TV and looked at her. "You're um… turning invisible."

Saiki looked down at himself. He was, indeed, translucent right now. He let out an agitated sigh. "See, this is what I'm talking about," he muttered as he tried to stop it. He was just turning more and more transparent, though. "I can't even stop it…"

A moment later he felt something brush his cheek. His focus returned to the girl sitting next to him. She had touched his face to snap him out of his invisibility. It was so similar to what she had done that night at the party, and yet it was completely different. The unintentional slap to his cheek was now a most deliberate, gentle stroke. Her fingers lingered for a moment before she retracted her hand.

_That's not a touch. That's a caress._

How did she stay so collected? She had triggered a fight-or-flight response in him with that single touch. Saiki cleared his throat nervously. "Um, you know that touching me anywhere would have sufficed, right?"

_Close. She's too close._

"Hmm. I like your cheek." She gave him an affectionate smile.

_Did she not hear a word I said?_

His heart was thudding so loudly that he was convinced she'd hear it. He knew he should move away from her, but he was already sitting on the far end of the sofa. She had him cornered. Trapped in her gaze. He felt her knee rub his leg. She must have moved closer. Time seemed to stand still as they stared into each other's eyes.

She was so pretty with her messy hair.

"Can I kiss you?" she whispered, with a crack in her voice.

_No. No. We agreed. We're just friends. Not even that anymore._

His breath caught in his throat.

_I shouldn't._

She was just waiting for his answer, watching him with those enticing eyes of hers.

_But I want to._

He didn't even realize he was leaning in. But then he felt her warm breath on his face, and a moment later they connected in the most tender kiss.

His world stopped and yet he felt more alive than ever. He pulled her close, eagerly. Finally. Again. At last. The taste of her lips. Her scent. The sensation of her small frame against him. _Her_. It was all as he remembered, only better, because it was real. She was right here, in his arms, locked in the most passionate kiss with him. His forbidden fruit tasted sweeter than ever. There was only her and him and this whirlwind of emotions he shouldn't be feeling. He didn't care. Nothing else mattered right now. He felt her smile against his lips. Good grief, he'd missed her. He felt high.

He gently pulled at the towel around her shoulders. It slid off her, exposing her neck. He moved in to kiss her there, feeling her cold and wet hair brush his face. She was shivering, although he wasn't sure if that was his doing or her wet clothes. Her skin was so cold. He moved back and brought his hands up, cradling her face. She was so soft and delicate and sweet. And freezing. Maybe he could help her warm up. He tried to channel his pyrokinesis, still cupping her face. There was a weird ray of light that shouldn't be there, but a moment later she was dry, and smiling at him. He could drown in those eyes, and he nearly did, before she pulled him back in with her loving kisses. Each following kiss was fierier than the previous one. It had been too long.

He was rudely interrupted by her pulling his sweater over his head, soon after feeling that now familiar tug at his shirt that he was wearing underneath. She cursed under her breath at the amount of buttons on his shirt, which was kind of cute and also strangely arousing to him. Maybe that was why he'd found his hand wandering up the outside of her thigh, pushing up her skirt. He recognized that red-hot craving now. Oh, how he wanted—

It was at that moment that he heard the front door close.

They stared at each other in shock for a moment before they pulled away as fast as they could. Saiki turned back to the TV, grabbing the remote as Teruhashi moved two seats away from him just as his father entered the living room. He was on the phone.

"Oh, hey kids," his dad shot them a quick glance before turning his attention back to the person on the other end of the line. "Yes, I know I said the manuscript was due tomorrow, but there's been…"

The two teens were panting, staring at the TV with wide eyes as Saiki's father walked around the room, busy with his phone call. Saiki folded his legs to hide the bulge that had formed there. Good grief. He moved his hands up slowly, so as not to attract attention, to button up his shirt again. Fortunately she hadn't gotten very far. His sweater had been discarded on the floor though. Saiki glanced at his father. He seemed too occupied with his phone call. Saiki noticed Teruhashi pulling down her skirt and comb her hair with her hands. Her face was so red.

His dad rummaged around for a bit longer until he eventually retired into his office, still on the phone. Saiki and Teruhashi just kept watching TV. Maybe she was trying to ignore the elephant in the room as well.

_Now what?_

He didn't know what to do. He had lost his self-control again. Why did she have to come and visit? He knew he would regret letting her in.

_Do I have to break her heart again?_

"U-um…" Teruhashi started. Then the door bell rang. That should be the delivery for his mother.

He didn't really want to talk about this right now anyway, so he jumped up from the sofa. He grabbed his sweater off the floor, pulling it over his head as he made his way towards the front door.

"Yo Saiki!" he heard upon opening the door. He was so taken aback that Kaidou, Kuboyasu and Nendou entered the hall before he could object. Kaidou was holding some console games.

_Wait, what?_

"We've come to cheer you up." Kuboyasu grinned as he patted him on the shoulder.

_I don't need any of that. Leave._

"Let's play, partner!" Nendou roared as the guys stepped into his living room, leaving Saiki in the hall.

"_Offu! _Teruhashi-san?"

"Woah, um, I hope we didn't interrupt anything," Kuboyasu glanced back at Saiki with a meaningful look.

Saiki folded his arms as he stood in the door opening. "We were just working on that science project. Besides, she's leaving now." Teruhashi got up from the sofa, taking the hint.

"Oh shit, I thought that was for next month," Kaidou gulped, then he looked back at Saiki. "Hey, did you see that massive beam just a couple minutes ago?" His eyes were sparkling. "It was coming from this direction. It just split the sky and dissolved the rain clouds. I tell you, it's the Dark Reunion firing test shots!"

_Wait. Did I just shoot a weather-cancelling beam?_

Saiki shrugged and followed after Teruhashi into the hall. He watched her put on her shoes in complete silence. Her coat was still wet, but it had stopped raining — apparently a side effect of his attempt at channeling pyrokinesis — so she was just holding it as she stepped outside. She gave him one more look before she went on her way. She had one big question written all over her face.

A question he had no idea how to answer.


	15. Third Time's the Charm

**Chapter 15 - Third Time's the Charm**

* * *

Teruhashi kicked the swing into motion. She remembered him doing it, all those months ago. It felt like a lifetime ago. She'd felt blessed with his power leaks back then, giving her the opportunity to get to know him better. Now, not so much.

She'd just visited Yumehara and had passed the playground on her way home. She usually ignored it, but today this place had pulled her in. She could use some time to think, anyway. So she had sat down in "his" swing. The one where he had sat that night of the party. When their lives had become truly intertwined.

She had no idea they would become _this_ intertwined. Well, she'd hoped for it, but not with this level of complexity…

They had kissed a few days ago. What had followed had been exactly as she'd expected… and feared. Saiki had pulled her aside after school the next day with his usual excuses. That they couldn't. His powers, couldn't be near her, yada yada. And that he was really sorry. He was starting to sound like a broken record, although every time he would say it with a little less certainty. After that he had reverted to his prime coping strategy again — avoidance. And so the heartache continued. She wanted to bash his brains in. How long until their next kiss, huh? She knew there would be a next time. They were like magnets, the way they pushed and pulled. He would turn his back on her, pushing her away. Until she got him to turn and show his front. Then they would fly right into each other's arms.

And it wasn't just the attraction of polar opposites. It was something deeper. She was sure of it now. She had felt it when they'd made out. It hadn't been just lust. It had been much more than that. She had seen it in his eyes when he had cradled her face. It had been so long since she had seen him smile, but at that moment he had, and that smile had said it all. With his guard down, his ice walls melted, and his fears a distant memory if only for a moment, it had radiated from him, pure and unfiltered.

_I think I love you, too._

She let out a deep sigh, swinging back and forth slowly. She couldn't really explain it in any other way. Not for him, and not for herself, either. But he was fighting it. He saw no other way.

_There must be another way._

She was coming up empty too, though. She didn't exactly have that much experience with psychic powers. She sighed again, getting up from the swing and walking over to the snail-shaped spring rider. She sat down on it, remembering when his voice had started failing there. She smiled to herself. That had been too cute. A once-in-a-lifetime experience, most likely. Unlike his power leaks.

She shook her head. She needed to focus, not get lost in memories, no matter how sweet they were.

_How can we stop his powers?_

What was the missing puzzle piece here? He had been fine for months. If the leaks were happening more often now, then surely they weren't random. And if they weren't random, there must be something triggering them. It would really help if they could pinpoint the source of those uncontrollable power spills. Eliminating the cause should keep his powers contained again. It didn't really sound that hard. They just had to find the root of the problem. They could be together, then.

"_There is _no_ way."_

He probably believed it. There was no other way to explain his actions, as hurtful as they were. It wasn't like him, and it was tearing him apart. How could he be so sure of it, though, when the solution seemed so straightforward? Just find the cause and get rid of it. Teruhashi furrowed her brow, playing with the bouncy eyes of the snail absent-mindedly.

Then it hit her like a bucket of ice cold water.

…_is it me?_

* * *

"Is it me?" she demanded, leaning over his desk menacingly.

Saiki, seated at that desk, just frowned at her apprehensively. He was probably not happy that she was talking to him in school again. Teruhashi had been swamped with admirers this morning, so she had arrived at their classroom late.

She needed to know, though.

"The reason that your powers are leaking?" she clarified, trying to keep her voice down.

He hadn't expected that. He just gawked at her, before he regained his composure and glanced around him quickly. "We're not having this discussion here," he hissed under his breath, just as the second bell rang. He looked relieved by the sound of it. He glared at her as the teacher entered the classroom a moment later.

Teruhashi glared right back at him for a few more seconds before she stepped to her desk, bestowing the sight of her angelic smile upon the teacher on her way there.

_Why didn't he tell me?_

She sat down and pulled her notepad and a pen out of her bag. If he thought the bell would save him, then he was wrong. _"Can we talk?"_ she wrote down, tearing the note off right after. She hesitated for a moment, chewing on the end of her pen. She glanced sideways, just catching a glimpse of him averting his eyes away from her, back to the teacher in front of them.

_He knows what I'm doing._

She sketched a quick praying angel next to her question. Just for old times' sake. Maybe it would help. Then she tried to catch his attention by whispering his name. He glanced at her with a look that could kill. She'd rarely seen him this annoyed before, and she'd often seen him annoyed. She would be laughing at him if this wasn't so dead serious.

She showed him the folded note from underneath her desk. He gave it a quick look before shaking his head.

_Seriously?_

She would not let him off the hook that easily. She gestured at him that she would throw it onto his desk if he didn't take it. See how much the teacher would like that. He rolled his eyes before he extended his hand under their desks, allowing her to pass him the note. She may have stroked his hand accidentally-on-purpose. Served him right. He withdrew his hand quickly.

Saiki unfolded the note and grabbed his pen. He was already scowling, and that didn't change once he'd read her message. He penned down a quick reply and folded the note up again. He was just about to pass it back to her, so she reached out for it. But then he suddenly flinched and groaned as his free hand touched the side of his head.

He looked in pain.

"Saiki-kun? Are you okay? …Saiki-kun?" Teruhashi whispered. He wasn't responding, instead just staring at his desk.

"Saiki-kun?" she asked a bit louder. He was worrying her.

He glanced at her. "…migraine," he mumbled, barely audible. Yet the teacher scolded _him_ for not being quiet, even though she had been much louder. He bowed his head apologetically and waited for a while before opening up the note again that he was still holding in his hand. His pen hovered above the paper for a moment before he added some more to whatever was already on there.

Then he finally returned the note to her. Teruhashi opened it up as fast as she could, no idea what to expect.

Least of all _this._

She found the word _"No"_, next to her question if they could talk. It was, however, crossed out. Then the sentence _"Ok. My place after school" _was added next to it.

_He wants me to come to his home?_

That was… bold, after what had happened there only a couple of days ago. Very unusual for him.

She nodded at him when their eyes met for a moment.

_Why did he change his mind?_

* * *

_I need to change her mind._

Saiki never would have thought he was this weak.

He was once the most powerful man in the world, always handling his powers with restraint and care. Staying low key, making sure not to get involved in anything that would put him in the spotlight. Yet he could not resist _her_. The queen of the school, the city, the country. Maybe even the world. He didn't even understand how, why and when this change had happened in the first place. He had always kept to himself, not caring much — if at all — for others. His powers hadn't allowed him to, and besides, he had never felt the need for it, anyway. A year ago he was still avoiding Teruhashi Kokomi. Kind of like now, really.

But for some reason he did care about her now — he was ready to admit that much — and now his concern for her well-being was fighting an impossible war with his other number one priority — keeping his powers hidden. It was tearing him apart. His ambivalence was making it even worse. Breaking her heart once had been excruciating enough. But no, he had to go and mend a couple pieces and then trample all over it again. Just because he had been too weak-willed to say no.

He was a scumbag.

Saiki frowned. He would probably have gone all the way too, if she'd wanted to. If they hadn't been interrupted. On his parents' sofa, in their living room. It would have been a disaster. It was ridiculous what a single caress of hers did to him. It completely turned off his common sense. One kiss and his resolve turned to goo.

It was probably a good thing that his father had walked in on them. If only he had arrived home a couple of minutes sooner. Then nothing would have happened. He could have stood by his words. Now he had given her hope. And she wasn't going to back off.

Especially not now she had figured out that she was triggering him.

That was why he needed her to change her mind. It was the only way. He was too weak-willed to stand his ground when she came on to him, and she would keep coming back. He couldn't keep playing with her feelings like this. It wasn't fair to her.

"_Are you going to push me away again?"_

Saiki grimaced. He could not change his mind about her. But he could change her mind about him. He'd seen it. Then she would stay away. Then she wouldn't be hurting over him anymore. He felt his stomach churn.

_It is the only way._

* * *

Teruhashi was following Saiki home quietly. It was like something had sucked the life right out of him, the way his shoulders slumped. She wanted to hug him. She knew that would be a bad idea though, so instead she picked up her pace and caught up to him. He tensed up, glancing at her warily.

"Relax," she smiled, "I'm not going to bite you."

He scoffed as he kicked away a pebble. It flew off to the side and vanished on the other side of the wall, next to the sidewalk.

Teruhashi blinked. Hang on. Did that go _through_ the wall? She spotted a small hole in it. Pebble-sized.

_Did I just activate his super strength? I'm just walking next to him._

She watched him. He just kept staring ahead, frowning. Maybe she was starting to understand a bit better why he had been avoiding her. His face looked pale. She wondered what was going on inside that head of his.

"Stop that," he muttered.

"Stop what?" she asked, confused. What did she do?

"That." He kept his eyes on the road ahead of him.

She furrowed her brow. "...what, look at you?"

Saiki didn't respond, but he clenched his jaw. Teruhashi averted her gaze. Was she making him nervous? How the tables had turned.

"We will find a way," she said quietly.

_There has to be one._

She saw him nod from the corner of her eye. Odd. She would have expected him to have argued that. Maybe he was holding back because they were in public.

They continued to Saiki's home in silence.

.

* * *

_Something's not right._

Saiki was acting weirdly. Something was off about him. Of course he looked as aloof as ever, but she'd become pretty skilled at seeing through his front. Although it wasn't like it didn't make any sense for him to feel dejected and resigned to his fate in his current situation. But then why had he invited her over to his home? Why did he look so incredibly... _sad?_

Teruhashi played with the pendant around her neck as she watched him make some tea for them in the kitchen. She was leaning sideways against the counter next to him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked him, breaking the silence.

He seemed engrossed with the kettle. "...would you have stayed away if I had?"

"No," she answered truthfully. Of course not.

"So I figured," he said quietly, with half a smirk.

She scoffed. "Just... how, do you reckon... will my staying away actually fix _anything, _though?" Master of avoidance, seriously.

He shrugged, still not meeting her eye. "There is no problem unless you're near."

"And why would that be?" she retorted, just as the kettle dinged. Saiki took it and poured the steaming water into the teapot that already had loose leaves in it. Then he set a timer for steeping. He was quite particular about his tea.

Teruhashi figured she was not going to get an answer to that question anymore. "So... you're just going to stay alone for the rest of your life, then?"

_How does he not see that his solution is _not_ a solution?_

"I've always been alone," he said defensively.

"But you haven't been in love before."

Finally he looked up at her. She held her breath. It was a ballsy move, but maybe she could finally get through to him. There was a glimpse in his eyes that she couldn't quite place. Like he hesitated for a split second.

…and then he put his frown back on and looked away. "I'm not in love with you," he told the teapot.

It was probably to be expected. "Hmm. Could have fooled me." She sighed.

He didn't respond, and then it was quiet. The timer rang after what seemed like an eternity. He poured the tea through a strainer into their cups and handed her one. She put it down on the counter to let it cool a bit, muttering a thanks.

"You may need to accept that you simply are and always will be a psychic, you know," she said, not unkindly. There were some other things he should learn to accept as well, but one step at a time.

Saiki leaned with his back against the counter and brought the cup up to his face. He blew into it to cool down the beverage, fogging up his glasses. She didn't think he could get any more impossible to read, but without being able to see his eyes at all, it did feel like staring into a black hole.

He sucked her right in.

"Stop fighting it?" she continued when he remained silent. "Maybe I can help you learn to gain control of your powers again…" It should have been a suggestion, but it felt like she was begging him.

_Why does it feel like this is my last chance?_

Saiki blew into his cup again, reapplying the layer of fog as if it was part of his armor.

"…how?" he asked, his voice breaking on a single word.

_Why are you so sad?_

"Well, last time you had control of your… whatever it was that warmed me, right? That was after we—" Her heart thudded because he turned towards her. But he was just putting his cup down on the counter.

"After we?" he asked somberly, his glasses slowly clearing.

"After we… um, we kissed…" she whispered.

His glasses finally cleared, and he was looking straight at her. A dagger might have stabbed her in the heart when he did. His gaze was soft, and full of love, but most of all it was filled with grief and agony.

It felt like he was saying goodbye.

"What… w-what…" she stammered, intending to take a step back. But he had already moved in, stroking her cheek with his fingers as he engaged her in a gentle kiss that could only be described as bittersweet. She felt tears well up behind her closed eyes.

_Don't leave me._

There was a soft _whoosh_, and when she opened her eyes again, they were sitting on his bed. He was watching her, with that same look that she'd hoped never to see again.

"Are you going to push me away again?" she choked.

* * *

"Are you going to push me away again?"

_This is it._

She hadn't been wrong when she'd suggested that kissing her might power him up. That test teleport had been intentional, and successful. Saiki wasn't sure of the specifics, and he probably never would be. The fact remained that the majority of the time he still had little to no control over his powers. It was too dangerous.

He felt bad for stealing that kiss. He needed that wave of raw emotion to be able to use his mind control.

_I need to change her mind._

Saiki had seen it in the precognitive vision at school this morning. He would answer that he didn't need to push her away, because she would be the one pushing him away this time. And then he would change her mind. Change the way she felt about him.

He would remove her love for him and replace it with intense dislike. She would be bolting from his room with disgust immediately. She would intensely regret what they had shared and done together, but in her pride she would keep it to herself. His secret would be safe with her. Eventually she would move on with her fairytale life.

He would liberate her. And he would be alone.

It made him sick to his stomach just thinking about it. He would get the result he wanted, and yet it would not be at all what he wanted.

It was his best option though. His only option, really.

Having said that, it was risky. His mind control was not a single target power and volatile by nature. He hoped the area of effect would remain small with his powers in its current state. Fortunately his parents were out of town tonight. He could only hope not too many others would be affected by it. Yuuta, his kid neighbor, would probably be looking for a new favorite superhero if he was home right now. Worst case scenario, the entire world would soon hate Saiki Kusuo.

He needed this, though. Otherwise she would keep coming back. There was no other way.

The vision had loomed over Saiki all day. It would play out like this if he used his mind control now. It would give him the space he needed.

"_Are you going to push me away again?"_

Still, when she finally asked him that damned question, he hesitated. He was sweating like a pig. He tried to keep his breathing under control, but it still felt like he was hyperventilating.

_Is there really no other way?_

No. This was it. This was the end. She knew it too. That look of terror would be gone in a moment. He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his racing heart.

_I'm sorry. And thank you. For everything._

Saiki stroked her cheek one last time. He didn't remember himself doing that in his vision. He should get a move on.

_Farewell._

He looked into her eyes. They were filled with dread, and it was killing him.

_Do it._

He would now answer that he didn't need to push her away this time. And then he would channel his mind control.

He would.

"…I…" he started.

He would do it now.

"I… I don't know. Probably," he answered instead, with a hoarse voice. His fingers slid off her cheek.

_I don't want her to change her mind._

He couldn't do it.

_There must be another way._

Saiki was still trying to work out what this timeline change would mean for him exactly, until he noticed a pillow charging at him from the corner of his eye. He managed to stop it in midair with his telekinesis, just a few inches shy of his face. He looked back at Teruhashi. Her fearful expression had turned into a furious one. He was confused for a moment.

_Oh. Right. _

He did just tell her he would probably push her away again.

"I am so _sick_ of this!" She might start breathing fire in a moment. "I like you and you like me. It's that simple. Why are you making this so difficult?" Her hands had balled into fists.

Saiki glowered back at her now. "You know why."

"These are not accidental leaks. You have full control over them. Sadly," she spat back, glancing at the pillow hovering next to his face. She had let go of it as soon as he'd stopped it. Saiki slowly brought it down in-between them.

She was right. Right to be mad at him, and right about his powers. He knew he couldn't do it without her there, triggering him, but he was definitely starting to get some control back when she did. His powers still often misfired, though.

Teruhashi sighed, shaking her head. Her eyes became softer again as she'd started fiddling with the pillow in front of her. He wasn't sure he had ever seen her so outwardly angry before. On the inside, sure, where no one could see. But not on the outside. There really wasn't much left of her perfect pretty girl act when she was dealing with him.

Granted, he did drive her to the brink of insanity.

"Stop avoiding me," she said softly. "Please. It's not a solution. I... I think I can help you, anyway. If you'll let me." She started hugging the pillow. "Besides, I'll keep coming back anyway."

"Hmm," Saiki mused quietly, "I know you will."

_What do I do with you?_

He should decide on a new course of action now that his mind was still working. It probably wouldn't last long, considering how close she was. He watched her as she hugged his pillow, while she was watching him closely in return. Never would he have thought that he would feel envy towards an inanimate object. Still, he would love to trade places with that thing right now.

_Maybe there is a way._

Saiki pried his eyes away from her. Why was he even considering it? Being with her was wrong.

_If it's so wrong, then why does it feel so right?_

"…you know we can't," he said out loud. Maybe more to himself than to her.

"And yet we are," Teruhashi responded carefully. "Just... intermittently."

Saiki glanced at her and scoffed. "Because you don't know how to take no for an answer."

In retrospect, seeing that look in her eyes was probably the moment he'd lost. She locked him in again. Despite his sneer, her gaze held nothing but love, and sincerity, and purity.

"Only because you don't know how to say no," she admitted softly.

_Why do I want to be closer when I should be running?_  
_Why did I not change her mind when I had the chance?_  
_Why can't I say no?_

It was clear as day, really.

"…because I don't want to say no," he confessed quietly.

Some things were stronger than reason. Stronger than willpower. Even a psychic's willpower.

"Then stop saying it," she whispered.

_Maybe she's right._

Saiki just watched her for a moment. How were her eyes so soft, when her gaze was so intense? Maybe the laws of the world didn't apply to her. He did suspect her to be a deity of some sort. She had abilities of her own that no one else had.

_Maybe she _can_ help me._

"…okay," he decided.

_No more running._

It was like the weight of the world fell off his shoulders. He felt… light. Energized. Giddy. And a little bit scared.

He had rendered her speechless though. Only Teruhashi Kokomi could still look pretty whilst mimicking a goldfish, the way she was opening and closing her mouth. She must have expected him to keep resisting. To keep saying no.

"…promise?" she managed at last.

He nodded, still a little taken aback himself. "Yes. Promise."

"So… I won't get another lecture tomorrow?" she asked cautiously. He couldn't really blame her.

"No. Hit me if I do. You probably should anyway. I kind of deserve it," he said with half a smile. She could pummel him if she wanted to. He would look forward to it.

Her smile lit up the room. That or her aura. It didn't matter. She was happy, so he was happy. She pushed the pillow that was in her lap right into his face. He let it hit. Then he blasted it back in her face with telekinesis. She yelped in surprise.

"Hey! That's not fair. You said I could," she huffed.

He smirked. "I never said I wouldn't hit back."

She glared at him, tossing the pillow away. "I haven't missed your mean side."

"I think you have—," he managed to get in just before she shut him up with a kiss. He had half expected her to, and yet it still took him by surprise. He closed his eyes.

_Good grief._

Was this for real? Was this really okay? It must be, because he'd agreed before he'd lost his mind. At least he was pretty sure he had. He had already admitted defeat, and still it felt like he was succumbing to her temptation all over again. She was so sweet. So soft. He might get lost in this kiss.

Saiki wondered if he would ever get used to these shock waves that pulsed through his entire being whenever they connected. She stroked his cheek, just like he had done to her only a couple of minutes ago. It was nearly identical, except his kiss had been a goodbye, while hers was a hello. And that made a world of difference.

Maybe this kiss was the best one yet. It was a promise of more to come.

She wrapped her arms around his neck while his arms found their way around her waist. They melted into each other like a perfect yin and yang, opposites as they were, but complementary, interconnected, and interdependent. He understood now. She wasn't his weakness. She was his strength. She empowered him.

At this moment in more ways than just his supernatural abilities.

He would hold back though. Right now they were just relishing this moment of intense togetherness. Cuddling each other, nuzzling spots that were sure to tickle, both grinning like idiots. She was whispering sweet nothings in his ear now, her hair brushing his face. The scent of her shampoo was different than the one he remembered, but just as sweet. He pulled her a little closer, savoring the moment. Savoring her.

This was just the thing.

Their kisses gradually got deeper, their breathing faster. He remembered something about holding back. He probably should. Just in case his mind was playing tricks on him again. Surely something so good couldn't be right. But if his memory did serve him right, then there was no reason to rush. They could take it slow.

He would hold back. Kissing her already set his world on fire. Who knew what would happen this time if they did go all the way? He might cause the house to explode with his powers like this. She was already setting off fireworks inside him.

Good grief, making out with her truly was something else, though. But he would not yield.

But then he felt that relentless tug at his shirt.

Saiki parted with her lips for a moment to check in with her. She held his gaze, a pretty shade of pink painted across her cheeks. He thought for a moment that she was flustered, but there was nothing shy about that frisky look in her eyes.

_Why do I even bother?_

He should probably know by now that he was utterly powerless against the force of nature that was Teruhashi Kokomi. A recovering psychic, rendered inept with a single look from her. She had unbuttoned his shirt in record time, so he shrugged it off, and willingly let her push him back onto the bed.

_Well, if she insists._


	16. New Beginnings

**Chapter 16 - New Beginnings**

* * *

Teruhashi hadn't thought that anything could have topped that first night with Saiki at the end of summer. Surely nothing could beat being intimate for the first time with the guy you've grown to care for so much. It had been one of the most special moments of her life. Starting with those initial kisses... hesitant, careful, gentle. That moment of euphoria when she'd realized he reciprocated her feelings. And then those waves of growing passion that neither of them had been truly, fully prepared for. It had been overwhelming. It had been fantastic. It had been everything she'd wanted. She had just been under the impression that he'd felt the same way about it. In fact, she _knew_ he had.

The events following it had been all the more heartbreaking. He had felt the same way, and he'd wanted to, but... couldn't. At times she'd wished that she would have — could have — let him go. She should have, really. She'd tried, and wanted to, but... couldn't, either.

So when Saiki'd told her that now apparently he could — overjoyed as she was, the fear for rejection was still there. Even though he had promised… she wasn't even sure what had made him change his mind. He had been ready to say goodbye. She had felt it with every fiber of her being.

But… she had also felt his sincerity when he'd promised to stop playing hide and seek. She'd given him the benefit of the doubt. How could she not? Something was telling her that it would really be different this time. That he would be in it for real now. That he would stay.

_You and me. Together._

And that was exactly what it had felt like this time. Together. Connected. Committed.

Loved.

And for that reason it may have transcended their first night.

They also may have had a bit more of a clue what they were doing this time. Maybe. That might have had something to do with it feeling better as well.

However, that sliver of doubt was still there in the back of her mind. He had lost himself in their intimacy before and then would have second thoughts later. He'd proven that his powers were still triggering outside of his control. It had been the weirdest sensation when she'd closed her eyes for a moment while she had been on top of him, only to suddenly feel her legs dangling. Turned out they had been floating in midair. He hadn't even noticed. In retrospect it was kind of funny, to be fair. But... this was exactly the reason why he'd said he couldn't be with her. Because _this_ would happen when he was. So would it really be okay this time? The only difference with their previous encounters was that he had made no promises to her beforehand then.

_Will he stay?_

"Good grief, I'm starving," Saiki moaned.

_Maybe if I feed him._

"Hm, the way to a man's heart…" Teruhashi yawned.

They were still in his bed. They had been for a while now. That was different than before — snuggling up afterwards. She felt so close to him. It was very intimate, but in a different way.

Other things were different too. He hadn't put his walls back up. Quite the contrary — he had opened up. Whispered in her ear that he was sorry for hurting her. And that he'd missed her. Well, not with those exact words. This was Saiki Kusuo after all. But at least he had admitted that it had been _"kind of lonely"_, the last few weeks. She'd responded that she'd missed him too. He'd scowled at her, which was pretty much his way of saying _"Yes, that's what I meant"_. She'd just smiled at him and kissed him, and the scowl had been gone afterwards. That might just be the way to win arguments from now on. She could get on board with that.

It had all been so different. Teruhashi was starting to feel hopeful. Did he really mean it this time? She wanted to ask him, but she was afraid to ruin the moment.

So instead, they had continued to just… chill. Chill and sometimes chat a bit, quietly, just like old times. When they weren't talking, they were just enjoying each other's presence in silence. Again, just like old times. It'd felt so normal, except for the fact that they had been in his bed, naked under the sheets, and that he had been playing with her hair after she'd laid her head against his chest. The soft, calm thudding of his heart beat was so soothing that she'd nearly dozed off. Well, until he'd complained that he was hungry.

"Are you suggesting I can be won over with food?" he rumbled. The sound of his voice got completely distorted because she still had her ear against his chest.

"Not suggesting. That is a well-known fact," she responded drily. He only let out a tiny chuckle at that, and yet she felt it pulse loudly through his ribcage. Maybe she'd found the Saiki emotion amplifier at last. Which was a bit of a shame, because she found that one of his most fascinating features. She wasn't even really sure what "that" was. Introversion, maybe? Stoicism? She just knew that less was more with Saiki Kusuo.

Perhaps that was why she lifted her head and lay next to him on the pillow instead. He was lying on his back, facing the ceiling, but still watching her from the corner of his eye like only he could do. "Let's see if we can find something to eat, then," she said. He nodded. She waited. Nothing happened.

"Um, move?" she suggested. She was on the side of the wall, so unless she climbed over him, it made more sense for him to get up first. Saiki looked away with a frown on his face.

_Hang on, is he…?_

She couldn't help but giggle. "I didn't take you for the shy type." She'd given him some privacy last time at her place, but she'd have thought they were past that now. Apparently not.

He shot her a piercing glare. "I'm not. It's just… weird."

"I just saw you. Y'know, when we were having se—"

"I know. I was there," he hissed. Teruhashi chuckled and sat up. She didn't bother covering her chest, partially because she didn't care, but mostly because she was having way too much fun seeing him flustered like this. It was so rare. Saiki shot her a quick glance and let out an aggravated sigh as he finally got up and put his boxer shorts on as fast as he could. Teruhashi laughed out loud.

"Wow. I guess it's a little different when you're not horny," she said, winking at him. She didn't really understand why he was embarrassed. She thought he looked good. All of him. She also now knew for sure that his trousers didn't do his bum any justice. Hmm.

Saiki huffed as he grabbed his school uniform off the floor and put it away. Then he pulled some casual clothes out of his wardrobe.

"Shut up."

* * *

"We never finished our tea," Teruhashi noted as she poured the now cold beverages down the sink.

"Hm. Not sure why I made it in the first place," Saiki muttered, his eyes glazing over for a moment. One day she would ask him what he had intended to do before he'd changed his mind this afternoon. But not today. Nothing would ruin today. He gave her a sweet little smile as soon as he noticed that she was looking at him. Her heart skipped a beat. His smile was so precious.

They'd found some leftovers in the fridge that his mother had left for him to heat up, but that would not do. Teruhashi had decided she was going to cook him something. Just in case the way to his heart was indeed through his stomach. It did sound quite plausible with him. She was still pretty sure all those sweets she'd made for him had played their part in winning him over. This time though, she'd decided on a heartier option: a stir fry.

It had been a while since she'd been there, but she still knew her way around their kitchen just fine. Saiki had offered to help with cooking, but he would just get in her way. His presence was distracting enough as it was. He had been right — it _was_ a little weird to be around him. Picking up where they'd left off as friends… only… more?

_More of what, exactly?_

The vibe between them was just the same, but at the same time so very different. There was this tension between them now. She recognized it from the weeks leading up to that night when they had first kissed, only it was much stronger now. It wasn't a bad kind of tension, really. It was actually really exciting. It made her feel bubbly and skittish. She was suppressing the need to giggle constantly. She felt this warmth in her stomach whenever he was near, or when he locked eyes with her. And that warmth was starting to overflow, since he was constantly near, and he couldn't keep his eyes off her even though he was trying.

"Teruhashi-san?" Those eyes were now looking at her questioningly from behind green lenses. She missed seeing their pretty purple shade. Maybe one day.

_Right, food._

"Ah. Uh… fine. Clean the shiitake then." She waved him away with a playful gesture. He was being stubborn about helping her, even though she'd told him it was fine. Cleaning the mushrooms was an annoying job anyway. She grabbed a chopping board and quickly got down to chopping the vegetables instead.

"Ow!" she yelped, her attempt to stifle her outburst only half successful.

_Maybe a bit _too_ quickly_.

Teruhashi stared at the cut on her finger for a moment before she stuck it in her mouth instinctively. The salty, metallic taste of blood was not what she'd had in mind when she'd been thinking of a savory meal only a moment earlier.

_That was stupid._

She looked at her finger again. The wound only bled a little, but it was in an annoying spot — right on the tip of her index finger. Sigh. She wanted to step away from the counter to try and find a bandage, but she bumped into something. Someone. Saiki had moved and was standing right behind her.

He was close. Really close.

His warm breath was softly stroking her neck. How was his breathing so steady and deep when she could hardly breathe at all? That tension between them was becoming thicker with every passing second. Was he going to embrace her? Kiss her? It was exhilarating to see him bold enough to initiate. Kind of surprising, too. She turned and tilted her head a little towards him. Their cheeks were so close that it was hard to determine if they brushed almost — or only just. She did feel something, but that could just be her imagination. His hand touched her side gently, resting there for a moment, and she was just about to lean back, into him, ready to return his affection… but then he stepped away from her.

Back to his mushrooms.

_Tease. _

What the hell was that? If he wanted to start something, then he should finish it. Not leave her hanging there with a heart like she'd just run a marathon. Why was he toying with her like that? Did he think it was funny, after all the stunts he'd pulled? Teruhashi returned her focus to the chopping board with a scowl. She slowly chopped the cabbage, still ticked off with the pink-haired bully next to her, whilst trying to avoid putting pressure on the cut on her finger. Except her finger didn't hurt. At all.

Only then did the realization hit her that the cut was gone. She put down the knife and brought her hand up to her face in disbelief. Her finger was spotless.

_Did he just heal me?_

She looked at him. He was removing the stalks of the shiitake, even though she'd only asked him to clean them. He had the smallest hint of a smile on his face.

_He's not a bully. He's a hero._

Teruhashi picked up the knife again and continued preparing dinner, a little more careful this time. She knew she couldn't get rid of the smile on her face, so she didn't bother trying.

_He's incredible._

* * *

With their bellies nice and full, they'd decided to watch a movie in his living room. His parents would be out until late tonight, Saiki had tried to say as casually as possible. He'd failed miserably. She had laughed at his poor attempt, and she'd received another death stare for it. It had just made her laugh harder.

It was nice to stick around for a while longer though. Of course she wished she would never have to leave, but she knew that moment would arrive eventually. Just... not yet.

They had watched movies at his place before. But that was the thing — that had been _before_. At an appropriate distance, as friends. Before this rollercoaster. Before they'd made out on this exact sofa.

Saiki had just sat down in his usual corner seat. And now she was hesitating. Sitting in the other corner — her usual seat — seemed way overkill now. Snuggling up to him didn't feel quite right at the moment either. This really was just... _weird_. Their eyes met. He had no idea either, judging from his face. Just great.

She decided to sit next to him, close, but without leaning in to him. She saw him tense a little. He was so cute when he was nervous.

"Relax. I'm not going to bite you," she joked for the second time that day.

"You said that last time. I was right not to believe you then, either," he said, glancing at her.

Teruhashi chuckled. "That was just a little nibble."

"Uh huh," he said, seemingly absorbed in the DVD menu on the screen as he navigated through it with the remote control. He was smirking though.

Teruhashi pulled up her legs and wrapped her arms around them. The movie was starting. She had no idea what title he'd just put on. Something atrocious, knowing him. Not that she really cared. She'd found a new appreciation for terrible movies since she'd started watching them with him. They were funny. Besides, seeing him smile or even laugh out loud made it worth sitting through 90 minutes of awful acting.

Her focus went to the TV as the opening credits started rolling. Or well, that was the idea anyway. She tried to pay attention, she really did. It was just impossible with him next to her.

_This is so weird._

She noticed Saiki shifting his weight and folding his legs. The tension in the room was so thick, one could cut it with a knife. Teruhashi leaned back into the sofa, letting go of her legs. She let out a deep sigh. Maybe it would help them relax. It didn't.

Ten minutes later, she still had absolutely no idea what they were watching. She'd needed all her attention to not look at the target of her attention.

"...are you following at all?" she asked carefully, eyes still on the TV.

It was quiet for a moment. Then she heard a nervous chuckle next to her. "Uh, no."

She turned her head to look at him. Saiki was watching her with a kind of intensity in his eyes that she hadn't seen before.

A moment later they were kissing.

She wasn't even sure who'd started. Not that it really mattered. She pressed herself against him eagerly. His proximity amplified all of her senses — seeing the desire in his eyes. Hearing his breath get caught in a nearly inaudible groan. Feeling him tremble at her touch. Tasting the after-dinner coffee on his lips. Smelling that unique scent that she had no idea how to describe other than that it smelled of _him. _

That warmth in her belly was spreading, pulsating through her. Somehow, just about everything about him turned her on. She craved him. Just couldn't get enough of him. Maybe she could guide his hand to where it needed to be. She might just let him figure it out on his own though. After all, his parents would be out until late. They had time. She clawed at the fabric of his hoody in anticipation. Mmm. Then she gently bit his lower lip, just to prove a point. His point. She let go so he could grin at her.

Then it dawned on her. She finally understood what that intense feeling of suspense between the two of them was. It wasn't just tension.

It was sexual attraction.

* * *

_So much for not doing it on the sofa._

Saiki was lying down on that exact piece of furniture, his legs dangling over the armrest. Teruhashi was in the bathroom, cleaning up. Saiki inhaled deeply. His breathing and heart rate were finally starting to return to normal.

_"We were made to fit together," _the TV blared at him. He fumbled for the remote and turned it off.

_I know._

Saiki stared up at the ceiling. How was he going to explain the marks on there? His… peak had come with fireworks. Actual, literal fireworks. It had scared the life out of him, and her. What a pain.

He let his arm slide off the sofa so his fingers were touching the floor. It was connected to the walls and the ceiling, so channeling his restoration should remove the burn marks. He tried, but the black smudges remained. Apparently he'd blown all his juice on flaming fireworks.

It'd just been so intense.

He'd learned a new truth about skirts. They were incredibly convenient. They didn't necessarily need to be taken off, thus providing effortless access. Any fabric under it could easily be removed by sliding it downwards or even just pushing it aside. Nothing really needed taking off. So they hadn't.

It'd been an interesting exploration. He felt hot just thinking about it. Saiki fidgeted and zipped up his fly. Good grief. Was this normal? Once they got going, they just seemed unable to stop. Had she put a spell on him? He wondered if he should be worried. Not like he didn't already have enough to worry about. They weren't even on speaking terms 24 hours ago. Was this really alright?

_It feels alright._

It was going to be weird seeing her in that same school uniform again tomorrow. And possibly dangerous. Maybe he should bring a blindfold.

At that moment the doorbell rang. He groaned before swinging his legs over the armrest, putting his feet back on the floor. He sat forward on the sofa for a moment, taking off his glasses to rub his face with his free hand. He should probably wash his hands, come to think of it. In fact he should take a shower. He considered not answering the door, but then the bell rang again several times.

_Good grief, what's the rush?_

Saiki got up and buckled the belt that was hanging loose around his waist. The doorbell rang three more times as he made his way to the front door. He was kind of curious by the time he opened it.

"WHERE IS SHE?! What did you do to he—"

_Nope._

Saiki tried to shut the door, but it was blocked by his unwelcome visitor's foot. Blue fury was fuming at him through the gap. Saiki knew he was going to have to deal with her pain-in-the-ass brother at some point. He just hadn't expected it to be this soon.

"She should have been home hours ago!" Makoto howled, prying the door back open with his fingers. "And she's not answering my texts! Although she might have blocked me again…"

_I wonder why._

"Did you touch her?" Makoto's eyes were spitting fire. Saiki met them with his usual blank stare. "If you did, I'll break your fucking nec—"

"Onii-chan?" Saiki heard her say from behind him. A moment later Teruhashi was standing next to him in the door opening. She was not amused. "What are you doing here? I told you to stop bothering Saiki-kun."

"Kokomi!" the siscon exclaimed, his pupils transforming into hearts. "I'm so glad you're okay! Did he kidnap you? Did he hurt you? Let us depart, my dearest love— uh, sister—" He kept reaching for Teruhashi's hand, even though she was trying to pull away from his grab.

That was the last straw.

Saiki pushed him back against his chest, making the brother stumble backwards, nearly losing his balance. He wasn't even sure if his palm had actually connected with Makoto's chest. Saiki's anger alone, perhaps in combination with her proximity, may have given the blue-haired bastard a little extra telekinetic push. Saiki hesitated for a split second, but then decided to slide his arm around Teruhashi's waist anyway. Just to be sure. It took both the siblings by surprise. He felt the warmth of her body crank up his heart rate. Good. He should have access to his powers now.

'_This ends now.' _

Makoto clenched his fist at Saiki's announcement. He had boomed it into his mind with telepathy. The two boys were shooting daggers at each other as Saiki pulled the object of their affection a little closer. He needed this to hit home.

The sky darkened in the blink of an eye, engulfing them in nearly perfect blackness. Some sort of blue energy radiated from Saiki's frame — flames or electric bolts of some sort, perhaps. He wasn't really sure, nor did he really care. Strong gusts of wind were trying their hardest to knock Makoto over. The pervert was having trouble staying upright.

"W-wha…" he stammered apprehensively, looking around him in confusion.

'_You will leave her alone.' _Saiki rumbled inside Makoto's head._ 'If she wants to be with me, you will let her be with me. If she wants to be with someone else, you will let her be with someone else.'_

Thunder cracked so loudly that he felt Teruhashi jump. A moment later lightning hit right behind her brother. He was shitting bricks now.

'_You will stop going through her underwear. You will stop sleeping in her bed. I __**will**__ know if you have, and I __**will**__ come after you.'_

Saiki's inner voice was roaring over the deafening mayhem around them. The storm was leaving traces of frost in Makoto's hair, befitting his frozen posture.

'_Your meddling stops __**now**__. I will find you if it doesn't. I will make you wish you were never born.'_

Saiki inhaled sharply. That was probably enough. The winds died down as quickly as they had appeared, the air clearing. The only threat that remained was the glare on Saiki's face.

'_Are we clear?' _he asked with an icy voice.

"Y-yes…" Makoto uttered, trembling.

Saiki nodded and turned his focus to the girl next to him. "Sorry about that," he whispered as he removed his arm. Of course she had not heard a single word of his telepathic broadcast, but she'd still witnessed the rest of the little exchange with her brother just now.

"Thank you," she said under her breath, as if she knew exactly what he'd just done.

_Does she?_

They both glanced at the incapacitated movie star on his doorstep. "You should go before he comes back to his senses," Saiki suggested. He might cause an even bigger scene if they didn't get going soon.

Teruhashi nodded and quickly grabbed her stuff from the hall. "Let's go," she said as she nudged her brother with her elbow. It seemed to defrost him somewhat. He started walking home like a dazed robot. Teruhashi shot Saiki one more look before the dazzling siblings went on their way. His heart shouldn't have jumped at the moment of eye contact, but it did anyway.

Saiki took a deep breath after he'd closed the door.

_Not sure if that was wise._

It had been a really nice evening too. Right until that idiot had arrived. It'd illustrated perfectly well the dilemma he was now faced with.

Saiki shuffled back to the living room. It was quiet. A quiet life was something he'd always been striving for, even more so the last couple of weeks. Right now it felt wrong, though. He wished she'd left on a different note.

Something sparkled at him from the table. Upon closer inspection it was a ring. Saiki picked it up. It was a dainty little thing, silver with a tiny blue gemstone of some sort. She must have taken it off before she'd started cooking.

It wouldn't even fit on his pinkie. How were her hands so small.

He sat down at the table, gazing at the ring in his palm. So quiet. At least he had some time to think now. He let the ring levitate a couple of inches above his hand.

_Is this really okay?_

He didn't even know if he should be ecstatic or terrified. He might be both. He may have stopped resisting her, but he still had a problem. His powers were still unstable, and she was still triggering them. Making out with her was — maybe more literally than he would like — blowing his mind.

The ring started floating downwards slowly. Saiki strained, bringing it back up by maybe half an inch before it dropped back into his palm. It would not budge anymore. She must have gone out of range.

Still, he was getting more and more control over his powers. Was it just a matter of practice?

_Practicing what, exactly?_

He clenched his hand into a fist, clutching her ring. He should talk to her tomorrow. Not… lecture-talk. Just talk. He'd meant it when he'd promised. She should still keep an appropriate distance in public though. Until…

_Until what, exactly?_

Until he had figured out how to control his powers again? Even if he did manage somehow, then what? What about her pain-in-the-neck brother? Was that really resolved now? He may have overdone it. He had just been so angry. He couldn't stand perverts. Geez. He put down the ring for a second so he could rub his face with his hands.

He didn't even want to think of the effect this news would have on her admirers. He couldn't afford standing out like this. He sighed, picking up the ring again.

His name was Saiki Kusuo, and he was just a reborn psychic. And he was intimately close with the highest profile girl imaginable, Teruhashi Kokomi.

_I can't. I shouldn't._

But…

His mind went through today's events again. He glossed over the start quickly — his precognitive vision, him trying to follow up on it, but failing. He preferred reminiscing the rest of the evening. He'd enjoyed it. Being with her. He smiled at the ring in his hand.

_But I am, anyway._

* * *

Saiki was still sitting at the table when his parents arrived home later that evening. They were being their loud and obnoxious selves as they walked into the living room. He grunted a noncommittal response to their greeting. He was still busy, trying to figure out how to fix this unsolvable riddle.

"Ku-chan? Did you have a good evening?" his mother asked him in her usual bubbly way. He didn't respond, still staring at the ring in his hand. He hadn't expected her to sit down in front of him though. He looked up at her warily. His father seemed to have disappeared into the kitchen.

"Is that Kokomi-chan's?" she asked, looking at the ring. "Was she here? I haven't seen her for a while."

Saiki nodded slowly, fiddling with the ring. It was exquisite. Just like she was.

"…did you two have a fight?" Her tone was kind and empathetic. A moment later he felt the warmth of her hand as she placed it on top of his.

"…no," he replied softly. Then he remembered how Teruhashi had tried to hit him with his pillow in a fit of rage. "…I don't know. Maybe."

His mother smiled at him warmly, stroking his hand. "They can be pretty confusing, huh? Girlfriends."

_Is she?_

Saiki glanced at his mother quickly before looking away.

…_I guess she is._

"…she triggers my powers," he confessed quietly. It felt like a load off his mind, just sharing it with someone who might understand.

"Oh, Ku-chan…"

_She understands._

They just sat in silence for a while, staring at their hands.

"Maybe Ku-kun can help?" she said eventually. Saiki had considered it himself. He didn't exactly like the idea, but it was probably his only shot.

He nodded. "Hm. How do we contact him nowadays, anyway?" Last he heard, Kusuke was in space.

Suddenly the TV turned on behind them. "Yo, Kusuo~! Over here!" Saiki flinched and looked over his shoulder at the screen. There he was. His blasted brother. Talking to him from outer space — judging from his suit and the background — through their TV.

A feeling of dread overcame him. Saiki glanced at the sofa, positioned right in front of the TV.

…_was he watching?_


	17. Testing the Waters

**Chapter 17 – Testing the Waters**

* * *

"Ooh, Ku-kun! We were just talking about you!" their mother exclaimed happily as she scuttled over to the TV, genuinely surprised at her elder son's conveniently timed appearance.

"Greetings, my dear mother! You look beautiful as ever!" The mad scientist had not lost his charm.

"Ah, Kusuke. It's been a while," his father smiled, coming out of hiding from the kitchen.

"Right. Kusuo, get over here~" Kusuke begged, completely ignoring their father. Saiki grunted and got up from the table, stuffing the ring in his pocket. He moved over to sit down on the sofa a little hesitantly, next to his mother.

_This is awkward._

"You like that spot, huh?" The massive space helmet did not hide his brother's grin. Saiki had just sat down in his usual corner without giving it much thought. He glared at the screen.

_Don't you dare._

"What's wrong?" Kusuke asked, feigning ignorance. "Weren't you canoodling with that friend of yours in that exact same spot a while ago?"

"Ooh Ku-chan~!" his mother squealed with way too much excitement.

_I'm going to kill you._

"Oh, did they finally hook up?" His father was standing behind them now. "Took you long enough, Kusuo. When I was your age…" He trailed off with sparkles in his eyes, losing himself in what could only be incorrect memories of his younger days as a handsome stud.

"Let's discuss the return of my _powers,_" Saiki hissed through gritted teeth. He needed to steer the conversation in a different direction before this would get even more embarrassing.

His mother was still clapping her hands in pure delight though. "Papa? Maybe you should have _the talk_ with Ku-chan..."

_It just got more embarrassing._

His father scratched his head. "Eh, do we have bananas in the house?"

"_**Not **_necessary," Saiki growled as he folded his arms across his chest. Good grief.

"Kusuo's right," Kusuke pitched in, tapping his gloved fingers on the surface in front of him as he rested his head against his other hand. "Mostly because it's already too late for that~"

"KU-CHAN!" his mother cackled. His father may have muttered something about him being a lucky bastard.

"Will you_ shut up_?" Saiki snapped at the TV. If he was in control of his powers right now, he would literally sink through the floor. Not before teleporting to space to roundhouse kick his blather mouth of a brother back to earth, though.

"That's when your powers emerge though, right? Just establishing a baseline here." Kusuke appeared to be punching something into the terminal next to him. "Nice fireworks, by the way. Real pretty," he remarked nonchalantly. He continued typing, his blank expression not showing any particular interest in his younger brother's activities from earlier that evening. His hands hovered over the massive keyboard for a moment as he appeared to be in thought. "Could I report that as a 'love explosion'?"

"Love ex— wait, fireworks?" his father stammered, just before he noticed the state of the ceiling. "Kusuo! What on earth did you—"

"I'll fix it tomorrow!" Saiki spat in exasperation. He just sat there, cringing and wondering how to get his family to stop discussing his goddamn sex life.

"Anyway, enough about the enigma that is the human mating ritual," Kusuke said, waving his hand dismissively. Saiki recalled feeling the same way. He had for most of his life, really. She'd kindled something in him though — an interest, a need, a desire — and he wasn't even sure if he should feel enlightened or disgusted with himself. Ignorance had been bliss. Life had been so much simpler back then. Lonelier and emptier, too.

"Tell me more about your powers!" Kusuke's eyes were now sparkling with fervor. "Tell me about your first time! How did you do it? How did it feel? How long did it last?"

_Is he really asking about my _powers_ here?_

Saiki blinked. "Uh… it started somewhere in summer. Except for…" His mind went back to the night of the party. "…I guess that was a one-off." He didn't care for her back then.

_I think?_

"Around summer they started coming back regularly, outside of my control," Saiki continued.

"I see, I see. Very interesting." Kusuke was taking notes eagerly. "And it's just occurring at home?"

Saiki shook his head. "No. It's happened at school, outdoors, in..."

_In her bedroom._

Saiki cleared his throat. Kusuke looked surprised. "Really? Now that's _really_ interesting. Peculiar..." He was ferociously typing away at his terminal.

_Why is it?_

"It's… I think—" Saiki swallowed. Suddenly the room felt really hot. "I think it's linked to… _her_."

"What's so special about this girl?" his brother asked. The question seemed genuine.

Their father laughed. "Seriously, Kusuke? You have to ask?" He cowered when he noticed Saiki's piercing glare.

"It's not her looks," Saiki grumbled. Why were his parents sitting in on this, anyway? "I… I don't know why. I just know she triggers me." He fidgeted. He didn't like talking so openly about this in the slightest.

"It's because Ku-chan's in love, obviously," his mother contributed affectionately, putting a hand on his knee and squeezing it.

"I'm not," Saiki protested, moving away from her touch. He felt like a science experiment.

"So how are your powers linked to her, then?" Kusuke asked, still hammering away at the terminal.

"Well… I can't access them right now," Saiki explained. "But I can when she's close. Sometimes within my control. Often still without. It's a pain."

Kusuke's expression turned to goo at the mention of his powers. Saiki rolled his eyes and sighed. "I repeat: _it's a pain. _Don't look so happy — I don't want them. I need to get rid of these powers."

_So I can be with her._

"Can you do it?" Saiki asked forcefully.

Kusuke was still taking down notes. "Hmm? Oh. Probably not." He didn't even bother looking up whilst giving that death sentence.

Saiki blinked. "Uh... that's not really… acceptable." If Kusuke couldn't help, then who could? "These accidental spills are happening more and more often. It'll only be a matter of time before I'll get exposed." He clenched his fists. It was the truth. He was a ticking time bomb. Why did he think it would be a good idea to continue seeing her again?

"Well, I'll need more data," Kusuke said. "It would really help if I can hook up some more sensors around the house. Like your room—"

"Absolutely _not_," Saiki barked. His parents chuckled.

"Meh, fine~" his brother sighed. "I'll make my way back to earth then, grabbing some materials on the way that might prove useful. Just stay out of her way until then." Saiki just smirked.

_Been there, done that._

His parents and Kusuke exchanged quick goodbyes before the TV went black again. Saiki got up and made a beeline for the door. He'd sat through enough nerve-racking encounters for one evening.

"Kusuo?"

His dad sounded eerily serious. Saiki was already standing in the doorway, holding the handle. He halted, glancing over his shoulder at his father.

"I'll spare you the talk. You're old enough anyway. Just… make sure you do it safely, okay?"

Saiki's grip on the door handle tightened. He wanted to slam the door and stomp off. He wanted to huff, and scoff, and roll his eyes. He wanted to scowl, and frown, and give him the silent treatment.

"…of course," Saiki murmured instead, before he softly closed the door behind him.

.

* * *

Teruhashi was nervous.

She was sitting at her desk in her bedroom. Her brother had called her down for breakfast, but she wasn't hungry. Normally he would be wailing at her door by now, but not today. It was a welcome change.

She examined the angel pendant in her hand, contemplating whether to wear it today or not. She wasn't sure how much of a good luck charm it had been lately. It hadn't exactly helped with his previous rejections.

_Will he stay?_

She weighed her options for another minute before putting it on. It was his gift. _His_ gift.

She let out a deep sigh and glanced at the clock on the wall. Another 30 minutes to kill until she could leave for school. She hadn't been able to sleep well, so she'd gotten up early.

Their connection had felt so deep yesterday. He'd been so close, open, vulnerable… protective. She had been — and was — adored by many, and yet it all paled in comparison to how he'd cherished her last night. She'd never felt so loved before.

She yearned for more.

_Will he keep his promise?_

It was hard to believe anyone would bail after such a night, but then again… this was Saiki Kusuo.

_TRRRR-TRRRR-TRRRR-TRRRR-_

The amplified sound of her phone vibrating on the desk startled her. She grabbed the device, wondering who the heck was calling her at this hour. She checked the screen.

It was Saiki Kusuo.

Teruhashi froze for a second.

_Why is Saiki calling me?_

He'd never called her before. Not like… ever. She had no idea if this was good or bad news. She hesitated for another moment before she swiped up to answer his call and then brought the phone to her ear.

"…hello?" she croaked.

It was silent. Was he going to hang up on her?

"…uh, hey," she finally heard on the other end. "…did I wake you?"

"N-no," she said. His silences were even more uncomfortable without being able to see his non-verbal cues, as small as they may be. She stood up and started walking around her room in a half-hearted attempt to calm her nerves. "Um… why are you calling?"

"I uh…" She heard him cough. "I… figured I'd let you know. I um, I changed my mind."

_He won't stay._

Being blown away by his telekinesis hadn't felt as painful as this. She thought her knees were about to give out. She choked back the—

"…kidding, just kidding. Geez."

_I'm going to strangle him._

"…_not_… _funny_…" she gulped. She would _not _forgive him for that. No matter how sweet his chuckle sounded.

"Sorry. I guess that was in poor taste. You just sounded so nervous." She could actually _hear_ him smile. Which meant he must be grinning from ear to ear.

"W-what was I supposed to think?" She took a deep breath, trying to get the tremble out of her voice. "You've never called me before. I freaked out."

"I've never called anyone before." It almost sounded like an achievement. "But yeah. Sorry about that." He sounded so sweet. She'd hug him through the phone if she could, but he didn't need to know that just yet.

"So to what do I owe this dubious pleasure then?" she said instead, stubbornly. Her legs still felt weak, so she sat down on her bed.

"Well, we didn't really talk about this yesterday," he started. "And it's a pain to type it out in a text. Just uh... wanted to ask you to keep some distance. At school," he added quickly. Suddenly he didn't sound so smug anymore.

"I uh... I kinda sit next to you?" She couldn't give him distance, even if she'd wanted to.

"I know." He sounded frustrated now. "As much as you can, obviously. Just until I get better control of my powers. Besides, uh..." He cleared his throat again. "I... I don't think it's wise to let people know that we're..."

Teruhashi held her breath.

"...uh... you know... close," he uttered, barely audible.

_One step at a time._

"So you want me to continue avoiding you?" she asked, playing with her necklace with her free hand. She didn't exactly like it, but it was to be expected.

"Uh, yeah. In public, anyway. Um... we could meet up after school, though." There was that fake nonchalance in his voice again that she couldn't help but giggle at. "I want to do some testing," he added irritably.

"Uh huh. Testing," she said suggestively. "Sure. Let's do some... _testing_." She felt much better, being the teaser instead of the one being teased.

He sighed loudly. "You're just as bad as your brother," he muttered.

"My place or yours?" Teruhashi asked, laughing.

"My place first. I need you here to uh... fix the ceiling."

"Oh, right..." She chuckled. "What did your parents say?" His exasperated groan said enough.

"Ku-chan? Are you on the phone? Say hi to Kokomi-chan from me~" she heard his sweet mother chirp in the background. He muttered something under his breath that she couldn't quite make out.

_Did he just swear?_

"I gotta go," he said urgently. "I'll see you later." She got just a quick goodbye in before he hung up.

Teruhashi lowered her phone slowly. She felt dazed. A smile crept across her face.

_I think he's staying._

* * *

Saiki felt at ease.

Really.

He'd called her earlier this morning to discuss their strategy. They would continue as they had for now. He had been fine like that, after all. It should be easier now, too. No more awkwardness during unavoidable interactions with her. No more conflicting feelings whenever he saw her.

He would be good to go.

He was standing with the guys at the back of the classroom. Kaidou and Kuboyasu were trying to explain a card game to Nendou for the nth time. Saiki was just hanging out next to them, hands in pockets. He'd started lingering with them here at the start of class to avoid that awkward moment when Teruhashi would walk past his desk to get to hers. No reason to change that now.

"Nendou, you can't play that card! Okay, _one more time_…" Kaidou looked like he was at his wits' end.

Saiki smirked, not so much at his idiot friends though. He had been thinking about that phone call with her earlier. He'd been staring at her name on his phone's screen for a while before he'd actually dared to press the call button. It had felt wrong to call her, until he was actually calling her. It was just like talking to her, really. Just without the distracting visuals.

Who would have thought she would sound more nervous than him, though? She didn't really get nervous around him anymore. Him, on the other hand...

Maybe that would get better once he'd gotten more used to… whatever this was. It had been weird, very confusing and sometimes downright embarrassing ever since their dynamic had started changing in summer. His body would trigger at the most unexpected — and often inconvenient — times. Not just his powers, either. He wasn't sure which was worse.

Saiki's hand clutched the ring that she'd left at his place yesterday. It was in his pocket, so he'd been fiddling with it as his thoughts drifted.

Yes. Surely that would get better now. There was no need to be nervous around her anymore. He could relax.

The sudden tsunami of _offu_ resonating down the hallway sounded oddly familiar. It shouted déjà vu to him.

"_Offu! _Teruhashi-san looks ethereal today!"

"_Offu! _Teruhashi-san is a celestial being, confirmed!"

"_Offu! _We've been blessed with her divine grace!"

Saiki's heart thudded in his chest.

_Here she comes._

She floated into the room like a fairy, enchanting and charming. Maybe she really was from another world. The way she held herself was unlike anything he had ever witnessed.

She must have bedazzled everyone in the school. Him most of all. Her eyes scanned the room until they found him in the back. Good grief, her smile. A warm fuzziness spread through his entire being. Was it her radiance? He felt light as a feather. Lighter.

She looked terrific.

A moment later she looked terrified.

_Why?_

The _offus_ died down, replaced by gasps and worried whispers. What the hell was going on? He had a great bird's-eye view and he still couldn't figure out what the sudden commotion was about. His eyes followed Nendou, who was carrying an unconscious student's body out of the room.

_Hang on._

That was _his_ body.

Saiki looked down at himself. He was floating above the people in the classroom, ghostly transparent and invisible to the rest of the world right now.

…_oh, for crying out loud._

* * *

_Please be okay._

Their eyes had locked in what had almost felt like an embrace when she'd walked into the classroom. An icy-cold dread had spread through her when she'd witnessed him collapsing a moment later. Fortunately Nendou had been able to catch him just before he'd hit the floor. He was carrying him to the infirmary now. Teruhashi was following behind closely, worried sick.

As much distance as possible, he'd said. This was without a doubt the furthest she could manage right now. Nendou might as well be carrying her heart.

_Will he be okay?_

"Partner couldn't handle your smile," she heard Nendou say out of the blue. It startled her.

"Uh…" she started, not sure how to respond.

_Was Nendou always this perceptive?_

"Partner's a good guy, you know. He's the best." Teruhashi waited for him to continue, but apparently that was all Nendou had to say about his pal.

"Hm. I know," she responded quietly.

They arrived at the infirmary a moment later, but the nurse wasn't there. Nendou laid Saiki's unconscious body down on the bed and left. Not before saying she should come and grab a bowl of ramen again with them sometimes, to which she'd agreed. Once Saiki had his powers back under control, they should be able to hang out together with their shared group of friends again, right? She'd even go as far as say she'd missed his weird, but kind and funny, friends.

Teruhashi hesitated for a second before sitting down on the bedside stool once Nendou was gone. A second later she nearly had a heart attack when Saiki sat up in an instant, jack-in-the-box-like.

"Good grief," he groaned.

"S-Saiki-kun?!" she gasped. "A-are you, are you okay?"

He glanced at her quickly before he looked away again. "Yeah. I messed up. Sorry."

She was so confused. He was alright? If he wasn't physically unwell, then... what kind of power would cause him to faint? "W-wha… what happened?" she asked, still feeling a bit shaken.

"Astral projection," he muttered.

She stared at him, dumbstruck. "What...? Y-you just passed out..."

He scoffed as he swung his legs to the side of the bed. "I didn't lose consciousness. My soul just separated from my body for a moment."

She blinked. "Oh… _right_…"

He'd told her several times before, and she'd still forget half of the things he was capable of. Such as out-of-body trips at the start of class.

_Did I set him off by just walking into the room?_

It was flattering, really. The look on his face had spoken volumes. Why would you need an _offu_ when the guy you fancy would freeze in awe from just your smile? She was used to being fawned over by everyone else, but Saiki had never shown that sort of interest in her before. She'd never dared to dream of having this effect on him. No wonder he had avoided all interaction with her before. She feared he might be having second thoughts again, though. He wouldn't even meet her eye right now.

_He's afraid._

Saiki let out a frustrated sigh when she remained silent. Her gaze seemed to unsettle him. "It's not a big deal," he grumbled.

"I... think it's a pretty big deal. To you." She watched him as he sat there on the bed, his eyes focused on his clasped hands in his lap. Now it was his turn to remain silent.

_He's pulling up his walls again._

Teruhashi got up from the stool and sat next to him on the bed. He tensed up immediately, observing her from the corner of his eye like she was some sort of predator.

"You'll be okay," she whispered. "Have faith."

She wanted to take his hand, but she didn't think he would appreciate that right now. He clenched his hands, as if he knew what she was thinking. Maybe he did. He hadn't really mentioned his telepathy since his powers had returned.

"You promised," she said softly. She had a pretty good idea what was on his mind right now, too.

"...I know," he murmured. His focus remained fixed on his hands. "Sorry. It's just…"

"You said no lectures. Don't make me hit you," she interrupted before he could finish his sentence. A minuscule smile escaped him. "Or worse: kiss you."

That finally caught his full attention, because he was now looking at her, at last. "...you wouldn't dare," he said, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

"Want to bet?" she taunted.

The way he squinted his eyes got her heart pumping. He was so close, and they were alone. It had been only a stupid joke, but…

Would it really be that bad to kiss him here, on the infirmary bed?

…_yes. Yes, it would be._

He broke away from her stare with a grunt. She was no psychic, but the hint of crimson on his cheeks suggested that he might have had a similar inner dialogue just now.

"…I'd better not," he said, somewhat reluctantly. She wasn't even sure if he was referring to the bet or the kiss itself. Maybe both. He cleared his throat and reached for something in his pocket. He opened his hand to reveal a ring. Her ring.

_Did I leave that?_

She had to admit her mind had been focused on other things once she'd started cooking the day before. She took the ring from his hand and slipped it on her finger without a word. He looked so conflicted, with that frown on his face, his pursed lips, and his fingers now digging into the mattress. She hesitated for a second, but then decided to place her hand on top of his. He didn't pull away. He didn't even flinch. She slowly felt him relax while they sat in silence for a moment, their fingers becoming more and more intertwined as time passed.

"Anyway…" he sighed, withdrawing his hand slowly. "About that distance."

* * *

Teruhashi had gone back to class after her little tease, while Saiki had waited for the nurse to return. Just to confirm that indeed, nothing was wrong with him. Must have been low blood sugar. Very plausible. Yes.

The rest of the school day had passed uneventfully. Well, without power leaks, anyway. He had gotten some stares for his little fainting fiasco, and their time at the infirmary together had not gone unnoticed by her fan club. Especially because it had been hidden from the public eye. The Kokomins had rejoiced when their friendship had dulled in the last few weeks, and they would much prefer it stayed that way. The halls were buzzing with rumors, not even 24 hours after he had promised her to stop running. Good grief. To top it off, he had also gotten some questioning looks from his friends after class. So much for staying under the radar. It just seemed impossible with Teruhashi Kokomi.

She was bad news. She would expose him. This could only end in tears. He was a fool for giving in. The mantra in his head had seemed unstoppable.

It had stopped the moment she'd shown up on his doorstep.

Saiki had joined his friends on his way home, while Teruhashi had gone on her usual walk home with Yumehara. She'd arrived up at his place just now. She was wearing that sweater that looked so good on her. Everything looked good on her, but… He wondered how she even knew that he may be a tad partial to it. Maybe she was a psychic.

"Kokomi-chan! So good to see you again! It's been so long!" his mother beamed at Teruhashi as soon as she entered the living room. The latter beamed right back.

"Oh, likewise! I'm so sorry, I got caught up in uh… school work and uh, club activities…" It was a nice try, but he'd expected a more convincing lie from her. Not that it mattered.

"Ah it's okay! We _know_," his mother said with a wink. "I'll be out of your hair in a moment! Please take good care of my Ku-chan… you little lovebirds…~" she giggled as she disappeared upstairs. Probably because Saiki had just grunted into her mind to knock it off.

Teruhashi gave him a scrutinizing look once she'd left. He shrugged uncomfortably. "Long story."

* * *

Saiki wasn't sure if it had been her looking so extraordinary in that sweater or the weird vibe that they apparently had between them constantly now, but either way he'd been able to use restoration on the house with her just standing right next to him.

"There," he said, touching the wall as he looked up at the now spotless ceiling above the sofa. Teruhashi was standing next to him, her arms folded across her chest. She almost looked disappointed with his success.

"Soon you won't need me anymore at all." She sighed dramatically before she produced a devious smile on her face. "So what if any more fireworks happen before the 24-hour cooldown is up?"

Saiki rolled his eyes at the innuendo and made his way towards the kitchen. "I don't even know if it's 24 hours at my current strength. It might be more. However," he said as he grabbed an energy bar and poured a fresh batch of coffee into a travel mug, "I might have a solution for that." He grinned at her, holding up his nourishments like trophies. The puzzled look on her face was priceless.

"I thought you wanted to do some testing?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We will," he said as they went back to the hall to grab their coats and shoes. "Are you ready?"

Teruhashi nodded, albeit a little hesitantly. He extended his arm to her as he had his hands full. She slid her arm into his with that same alluring smile that had quite literally knocked him off his feet earlier that day. She nearly did it again, too. Good grief. Teleportation should be no problem with a boost like that, at least. And indeed, a moment later they were in that all too familiar barren wasteland.

"…where _are_ we?" She sounded bewildered.

Saiki chuckled as he put down his coffee and snack and pulled a little notepad and pen out of his pocket. "My old training ground."

"Training gr…? What, you used to work out here?" He nodded, writing down today's date in the notepad. "Seriously? With _that_ build?"

He frowned at her. "…what's wrong with my build?" She just laughed and shook her head.

_And she calls _me _mean?_

"_Anyway_," he grumbled, "I want to test how much control I have over my powers in my current state and then see what happens if we um…" He pretended to be scribbling down more notes, "…you know… ramp it up."

He knew she would be making fun of him for that. She'd been eyeing him up and down since the moment she'd arrived at his home. That vibe between them took shape as a blaze inside his stomach when she stepped closer, repeating his last words with a seductive smile. His attempt to appear absorbed in his notes was not throwing her off. At all. The vibe turned into a scorching pulse when she pressed herself against him. He was about to tell her to stop messing around when he felt something rub against him. Wait… was that… was that her hand?

Was that a _squeeze?_

A moment later the boulder next to them blew up into a million pieces.

Saiki was able to shield her from the incoming rubble just in time. They stood there, frozen in an unintentional and somewhat uncomfortable embrace, for a couple more seconds after the last debris had landed.

"….geez, don't startle me like that," he hissed. He felt her nod against his chest.

"D-duly noted," she gasped. He loosened his grip on her. She seemed unharmed. A moment later she was giggling again. The recovery power on this woman.

"I just didn't realize you had a detonator in there."

* * *

It had taken a bit of time and some maths-involving brainwork to get his body into a calmer state again. Her teasing hadn't been helpful in the slightest. He wondered why he was doing this again. She could be such a pain in the neck.

The results had varied. He'd tried using a wide arrange of powers while he was calm, but close to her. Sometimes he had some control, at other times none at all, and then a couple of times he'd accidentally channeled an extra power on top of the one he was trying to use. The further away he was from her, the more his control diminished. He was starting to feel a little desperate. This wasn't good at all.

"Alright," Saiki sighed as he noted down the results. "Let's ramp it up. _Slowly_," he stressed, giving her a cautioning look.

"Okay," Teruhashi chuckled merrily. "I'll just follow your lead."

He nodded, stuffing the notepad back in his pocket. "Okay." His plan had been to just start with a kiss. He looked at the girl in front of him. She was watching him calmly with a sweet little smile on her face.

_Just a kiss._

His breath caught in his throat. It wasn't like he didn't want to, but initiating intimacy wasn't something he was exactly comfortable with yet. Not in the slightest.

"…this is weird," he uttered after what felt like an eternity.

The sound of her giggle alone may have been enough of a boost, but of course she wasn't aware of that, and he wouldn't have been able to tell her even if he'd wanted to. She'd stepped in and kissed him once gently, lightly, perfectly. Just as his plan had been. Something ignited inside of him. Had it really only been a day? Her face was still so close, and before he knew it they engaged in another, much deeper kiss. His arms instinctively wrapped around her waist. Somewhere in the back of his mind was the faintest notion, something about his powers, but surely it could wait.

Teruhashi broke away reluctantly though. "Um… go?"

Saiki blinked in confusion. "…oh. Right."

So they'd continued to test his powers. The good thing was that he appeared to have more control over them now. The bad thing was that it seemed to require intimacy with her. Although one could argue how _bad_ of a thing that really was. A little inconvenient in public, at least.

Now that he had more control, he could actually check the range and strength of his powers more reliably. Creating distance by walking away from each other soon became a pain though, because their shouts didn't carry far enough for the other to hear.

An idea struck him when they were in the middle of an attempt to take his powers up another notch. All in the name of science and collecting more data, of course. He'd caressed her neck in the middle of a kiss, feeling the chain of the necklace she was wearing. Saiki broke away from her kiss and brought both his hands up to her neck. He took the clasp of her necklace, trying to open it. The chain looked different. The clasp was just as finicky as he recalled, though. He finally managed to open it and gently removed the necklace. Teruhashi gave him a confused look.

'_Hi.'_

She furrowed her brow, looking even more confused.

"_Did he just…"_

'_I did.'_

Her eyes went so wide. Saiki chuckled.

'_That necklace has germanium in it. It blocks my telepathy. This way we can communicate at range without losing our voices.'_

She stared at him. "Wow. It sounds just like your voice."

'_It _is_ my voice.'_

She slapped him half-heartedly on his chest, clicking her tongue. "I know that. Just…"

'_You don't need to talk out loud now, you know.'_

"I know," she smiled, then laughed when she realized she did it again. _"Sorry. Just a force of habit."_

It was strange to hear her talk to him with her thoughts. Strange and also liberating, in a way. She really knew him to the core. And she was okay with it. Accepted every part of him. More so than he did, himself.

He'd thought he'd been cursed with her affection. Was it a blessing in disguise?

He didn't have more time to dwell on that, because she'd moved in for another kiss. Right, they were testing. Just a little more and then they would test again. One more kiss. Maybe three.

Her mind was surprisingly empty, too. Initially. Until their kisses got more intense, their embrace tighter, and their hands restless. Suddenly a thought travelled into his mind — definitely _not_ his own — that would surely change the rating of this story in a heartbeat.

Saiki couldn't help but chuckle against her lips. She must have forgotten he could hear her. _'I don't remember your thoughts being this crude.'_

"_I know you're thinking the same, and I don't even need telepathy for that." _She was so cheeky. Maybe she hadn't forgotten.

'_You're throwing off my test results this way,' _he complained instead, trying to ignore her jibe.

"_We'll just have to test more, then."_

'_This is business, not pleasure,' _he reminded her.

"_Of course," _she grinned, deepening her kiss. Saiki had thought that she wouldn't be able to shut him up with a kiss anymore. He didn't need his lips to speak when he could just talk straight into her mind, after all.

Well, he had been wrong. She could.

* * *

"I'm not sure I'll ever get used to your teleports," Teruhashi admitted. She'd taken one breath back in that desolate wasteland and now she was breathing out that air in her own beautiful bedroom.

_'Oh, I think you will,' _Saiki smirked, letting go of her hand. He looked exhausted. They'd done testing until he could barely stand up straight anymore. It was late, but hey, it was Tuesday. No-one-home-Tuesday. She was pretty sure he'd remembered, too. She glanced at him. He was still holding that travel mug with coffee and the energy bar. She wondered why he'd brought them, because he hadn't had any of it while they were out there.

'_Consider them emergency rations. In case I would become too tired to teleport us back. It's… a long walk.' _

Teruhashi blinked. She'd have to get used to this mind-reading thing.

'_Sorry. Feel free to use your necklace. I won't take offense.' _

His smile was so sweet.

'_Thank you.'_

Now he was grinning. She laughed. "Sorry. I don't mind it… not as much as I used to, anyway." She scratched her head, remembering how she'd fainted when she'd first found out about this power of his. How embarrassing. "It just takes some getting used to. Just like not having to speak out loud anymore. Like I'm doing right now. Oops."

He just nodded at her. He looked so tired. She pulled him over to her bed. "Here, sit down," she said softly.

'_Don't get your hopes up. I'm shattered,' _he moaned into her mind, laying down on the bed instead.

She giggled. "I can see that. You shouldn't have pushed yourself so far."

'_Well…' _He glanced at her quickly before he fixed his gaze on the ceiling again. _'I wondered if I could prevent the random leaks by tiring myself out. The… the fireworks kind. But I might have overdone it.'_

She chuckled as she lay down next to him. She was on her side, facing him. "I thought guys were always up for it," she taunted, poking his side with her finger.

He scoffed. _'Don't complain. I used to be pretty much a registered asexual.' _He looked so annoyed when she laughed out loud at that.

"You are _not_ asexual. Believe me," she giggled as she scooched a little closer to him.

'_It's never held my interest. I would have happily died a virgin,' _he argued, frowning.

"Until someone kissed you." He just rolled his eyes and sighed. She should probably stop teasing him. She trailed a finger over his chest as she mulled over his words. She could feel all the buttons of his shirt under the pullover he was wearing. She was quickly developing a love-hate relationship with his shirts. They looked great on him, but they were just _so much work._

"Hmm. I think you're more likely demisexual," she said in a more serious voice.

Saiki remained silent for a while. _'What the heck is a demisexual?'_ he asked eventually, turning his head towards her.

She smiled at him. _"_It's when you only experience sexual attraction towards people you've established a strong emotional connection with first."

The way he looked at her indicated she might have hit home. A shimmer of shock lit up his eyes for a moment. He wasn't smiling, but his entire body appeared to relax, as if he was finally at ease.

"…hm. That sounds about right," he said softly, but out loud. As exciting as communicating through telepathy was, nothing could beat the feeling of that tickle of his breath on her skin when they were this close. He was tired though, so she would just let him rest until—

Her thoughts were interrupted by him leaning in. She smiled smugly, pulling away from him just a little at the last moment. Just as she'd thought.

"Aren't you too tired?" she said teasingly.

'_It's just a kiss,' _he said defensively. He tried again, so she dodged him again.

"Uh huh." Teruhashi grinned, and he nearly was, too. He was trying to hide it, of course, even putting on the fakest scowl she'd ever seen on him. He rolled over and gently cupped her face so she couldn't move away from him anymore.

"I'm not allowed to resist you but you can resist me?" he asked her begrudgingly, their lips brushing from the motion of his spoken words.

_"Couldn't do it if I tried," _she thought, going for that kiss at last.


	18. True Colors

**Author's note:** Hi guys! Sorry for the wait. It's not for lack of inspiration. Just a simple lack of time. I'm getting a new puppy soon, so I've been away to visit a lot. So cute!

Extra long chapter! Mostly because my one, simple note "add a make-out scene" turned into a monster, lol. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 18 – True Colors**

* * *

_I should probably break it off._

Saiki chewed on the back of his pencil, immersed in his thoughts. That thought again. It had been nagging him constantly this past week.

He hadn't acted on it yet. He'd promised her, after all. He knew it would be the wisest choice, though.

Well, it would have been. _If _he hadn't let it come this far in the first place. At this point, she would most likely trigger him regardless of their… their… status. Whatever that was, anyway.

Still, though. He just couldn't think of a scenario that would end well. He had yielded, hoping there would be another way to seal his powers again. He wasn't so sure anymore. It would take his brother a while to travel back to earth, and even then his chances were slim. Besides, Saiki wasn't even sure he could wait that long. It had only been a week and his powers were already becoming stronger. And not just that. They were also becoming more volatile, despite the training he was doing with her. Or perhaps because of? Who knew.

He might have to come to terms with the fact that his powers were back, and that they were to stay. Which meant that he would have to re-adopt his former strategy. Stay out of trouble. Don't stand out. Be _normal_.

All of that was virtually impossible if he continued his involvement with the immensely popular, other-worldly beautiful Teruhashi Kokomi. Saiki sighed deeply.

Only a fool would risk everything for a mere high school girl.

_I guess I am a fool._

Rationally it still made no sense to him. But then he would see her walking down the hall, or he'd hear her voice, or even just think of her, and...

Well, it still made no sense then, but he'd stop thinking rationally at least.

Saiki shook his head, still chewing on the end of his pencil. She was always on his mind nowadays, so his reason had pretty much gone out the window. It would upset her, but he really should bring an end to it before it was too late. She was muddling his mind. He was heading towards disaster. The course of action was clear, really. There was just one problem.

_I don't want to._

Just the mere thought of losing her again made him sick to his stomach. He didn't want to say no anymore.

He still didn't understand half of the emotions that had surfaced recently, but towering above them all was this overwhelming feeling of euphoria. It really made no sense. He was in huge trouble and yet he felt _phenomenal_. Saiki clenched his teeth in an attempt to keep himself from grinning like an idiot. He nearly bit off the end of his pencil doing so.

It was still a little weird. He wasn't good with affection. At all. Never cared for it. He was bad at receiving it and even worse at giving it. He didn't even know how to. He'd frozen more than once from her sudden hugs and caresses recently, feeling like a computer throwing up a blue screen. Cannot process, please reboot.

And still, it had been… nice. Really nice. Okay, fine — it had been fantastic. To be with her again. He may have missed her company more than he'd cared to admit. She was clever and witty and made the best cake in town. She was exhilarating and soothing at the same time. She brightened the dull, depressing autumn days. He'd started looking forward to doing homework again, because he'd be doing it with her. Anything was exciting, as long as she was a part of it.

Being intimate with her was... definitely... exciting, too. It was incredible. She was so confident with everything she did. It was a thrill to watch her. Hear her. Feel her. He wondered if he would ever get used to it. He hoped not.

He'd stopped trying to tire himself out beforehand. It didn't help anyway. Neither did it stop them. _"Just make sure you do it safely," _his father had told him. Saiki wondered if power spills were considered safe. Probably not.

Those damn powers.

His mind was brought back to the dangers of being close to her, and then he considered leaving her again. He felt splinters in his mouth. He put his ruined pencil down on the table.

_What a pain._

His thought process had turned into this recurring, infinite and tiresome cycle of highs and lows and he was getting so goddamn sick of it.

Good grief. It had only been a week and he was already losing it. Saiki had thought he would find some peace of mind once he'd stop resisting her. Quite the opposite. His mind was in constant overdrive.

Just to add insult to injury, it wasn't just his own thoughts in there anymore, either.

Saiki had held off on telling her about the telepathy-blocking ability of her necklace. Teruhashi had worn his gift faithfully all this time, even when they hadn't been on speaking terms. Honestly it had been easier for him, not having to deal with her thoughts on top of everything else. His telepathy seemed to be one of the easiest powers to trigger, after all. It was active pretty much all the time now, as long as she was close. He'd hoped to respect her privacy with the necklace, as she'd reacted so extremely to him hearing her thoughts before. If she'd wanted to continue wearing it now that she knew what it did, that would have been completely fine with him.

In fact, he'd probably prefer it if she had.

Saiki really wasn't sure if he'd wanted to hear all her unfiltered thoughts again after all this time. To this day he didn't have a clue what had made him change his opinion of her, but the lack of telepathy must have contributed.

And no, the lack of x-ray vision had had _nothing_ to do with that. He was certain.

It must have been the lack of telepathy. If she was still rotten on the inside, then he had at least been unaware of it. What was going on inside her mind nowadays? Had she just played him like she'd played everyone else her whole life? Hadn't there been a change in her before he'd lost his powers? He wasn't sure anymore. Honestly it would make everything so much easier for him if he would _not_ like her true self. Then he could stop this, ending the power leaks.

And yet… he was hoping she'd changed. She might just have. Because, against all odds, she'd actually stopped wearing her necklace. It was a conscious choice for her. She was aware of its properties. And still...

It was a little unnerving. Was she still the same?

_"Stop staring."_

The other disadvantage of her not wearing her necklace was that she now had another way in for her relentless banter.

They were in the school library, trying to work on the science project that they had been assigned a while ago. Admittedly, it was a little risky. They were supposed to ignore and avoid each other in school, after all. They'd tried to work on it at home, but she'd kept giving him these looks and… they hadn't gotten very far. With their project.

He felt like a dog with a bowl of food in front of him, being here with her. Whilst wearing a shock collar.

_'I'm not staring,'_ he told her, a scowl forming on his face as he looked away from her.

He used to be so good at ignoring her. The one useful power he had — completely gone. Typical. Her thoughts were buzzing around in his head again, and they were awfully distracting. Her parents and brother had been out yesterday, and their hands had brushed as she'd passed him a cup of tea, and then somehow they'd ended up between the sheets. He'd been having a hard enough time keeping his eyes off her all day. Her analysis of their performance was _not _helping. No matter how positive it was.

_"You're staring again." _Her joyful giggle filled his head.

Saiki scoffed and looked down at the empty sheet of paper in front of him. It was her fault for being so ridiculously dazzling. She was shining twice as brightly as usual today.

She was getting him all worked up again. Saiki sighed and rubbed his sweaty palms on his trousers. Good grief. He'd better watch it before he set the library on fire by accident. It was surprisingly full of people, even though it had been nearly empty when they'd arrived. They were watching him and Teruhashi like hawks. Some of the gossip was getting a little too close to the truth for his liking, too. Saiki made a mental note not to do homework with her in public again. Then he figured he may as well share that note with her telepathically. She agreed, as he knew she would. He had already heard her come to the same conclusion earlier.

His eyes drifted back to her again. She was focused on writing something down, and yet she was perfectly aware that he was watching her. Again. Her contemplation to scold him a third time flowed into his mind. A moment later she decided against it though, and continued her work.

He hadn't really noticed a real discrepancy between her thoughts and her spoken words so far. Nothing too negative, anyway. He did wish she wouldn't analyze him all the time. Her conclusions tended to be creepily accurate, and it freaked him out. She might know him better than he knew himself. Good grief.

Then there were some thoughts that had been more flattering than she would let on. She found him attractive, somehow. The prettiest girl in town. Him. He couldn't comprehend it.

She still wasted a lot of her time and thoughts on being the perfect pretty girl too. Granted, she didn't seem to use people to achieve that as much as she used to. Another thing he didn't understand. Why did she bother with the act? She was terrific just the way she was.

_Maybe I'll tell her one day._

Saiki smirked. On the inside, she might really be the same person that he'd grown… rather fond of. He felt his muscles relax. He hadn't even realized how tense he'd been.

_What a relief._

* * *

Maybe they should just head home. They weren't getting a whole lot done here anyway. It was a little hard to concentrate with all those prying eyes. She was used to that… just not _his_. Teruhashi smiled to herself. It was cute, but he would have to up his game if he wanted to keep up that cover. Her fan club was already getting a little restless.

As much as she wanted to shout it from the rooftops… going out with him behind the scenes definitely had its charm too. It was so exciting. Act aloof in school, let their guard down in the privacy of their homes. It almost sounded like a certain someone. It was amazing when he let his guard down. She was slowly peeling away more and more of his layers and she loved what she was finding underneath it. Kindness. Responsibility. Sensitivity. Even some vulnerability. And a certain level of pride that she loved making fun of.

Little secrets hidden away inside their own bigger secret.

She would patiently wait until he was ready to go public. Besides, it was obvious that he was still struggling with this new concept. Sometimes his commitment seemed to waver. It was scary, but… he was definitely trying. There had been some close calls with regards to his powers, and yet he was still here. With her.

_Maybe he just needs more practice._

That gave her an idea. She tore a sheet off her notepad and started doodling. Communicating through their minds might be more convenient, and — much to her surprise — actually quite fun, but she'd missed doing this so much. Glancing up at him, she noticed he was watching her curiously. She chuckled and finished her drawing. Her angel character was hugging his glasses-wearing devil while he was holding up a boulder three times their size in his other hand. _"Train later?"_ she'd written next to it. Teruhashi hesitated for a second, but then decided to draw three tiny hearts around the angel, plus a single little heart next to the devil. That might already be pushing it. It was representing _I-care-but-I-pretend-not-to_ Saiki Kusuo, after all.

_Perfect._

Teruhashi folded the note up for no particular reason, other than that was what they'd always done, and slid it to him. He took it with a smirk. She waited for him to finish his response with his half-eaten pencil. Weirdo. He glanced up at her with a scowl. She took the note back with a smug smile.

Saiki had answered her question with a polite _"Please"_. She bit her bottom lip, trying to suppress the grin that was trying to break through. She loved training with him. It was a bit of a misnomer, because she didn't really get to do much, except kiss and hug him and then watch him perform his wizardry. It was bliss. Seeing him wield all these crazy powers would still leave her speechless at times. He was so powerful. It was awesome, a little daunting, and strangely sexy.

He rolled his eyes at her.

_Oh, right. _

Teruhashi was about to fold the note back up, but then something caught her eye. She took a closer look at the drawing. The devil had gained a set of frowning eyebrows, along with a sweat drop. Not only that, but the heart that she'd drawn next to his persona had been crossed out and replaced with a little sigh. The angel had acquired a sparkly aura as well.

Teruhashi smiled warmly at the piece of paper. Yep, that was them alright. She felt brighter than ever before, because she was head over heels for him and being with him was the best thing that had ever happened to her. The feeling was mutual, which magnified her ecstasy at least tenfold. She knew it and deep down he knew it too, even if he was still fiercely in denial about it. Well, maybe not as fiercely anymore. Just a little. Enough to pretend he wasn't hearing her thoughts right now. He suddenly looked so absorbed in the book next to him that he hadn't even touched until now.

_'Tch. I'm not.'_ Teruhashi giggled as he rolled his eyes at her again.

That hint of a smile on his face said enough.

* * *

"Ahh, finally done! How did you do, Kokomi?" Yumehara stretched after another — the last — morning of midterm exams. Then she chuckled. "To be honest, I'm not sure why I still ask. You always ace them anyway."

"Eh, I'm not so sure this time, Chiyo." Teruhashi looked at her friend a little uncertainly. She hadn't spent as much time studying as she should have.

_'You did well. Don't worry,' _the cause of the decline in her usual studious attitude reassured her. Saiki was stuffing his school bag at the desk next to her, outwardly paying the girls no mind. Teruhashi cracked an unintentional smile. She wasn't as good at poker-facing their inner dialogues as the master yet.

"Oh, I know _just the thing_ for that!" Yumehara winked at her. "Did you hear about that new dessert shop opening up? I think we've deserved a treat."

"Oh, that sounds lovely! I'm in." Teruhashi beamed at her friend. It would be the perfect start of their autumn break.

_'Me too.' _

Teruhashi let out a chuckle. Of course he would be. Saiki had just flung his bag over his shoulder and was heading towards the door.

"_I'd love that, but _someone_ prefers not to be seen in public with me," _she retorted.

_'I might have a solution for that.'_

"_Oh?"_ She glanced at his back as he was just about to leave the classroom.

"Saiki? Yo Saiki, wait up!" Kaidou shouted suddenly. He was standing with Kuboyasu and Nendou at their desks still. Saiki halted just outside of the door, turning around to face his friends. "What time are we meeting up for the escape room?"

Teruhashi saw him shrug, only to have the romance-driven girl next to her interject with another question. "Oh, are you doing another escape room? Can we come?"

Yumehara must have been so pleased with her clever little plan that she seemed completely oblivious to the air of awkwardness that followed her proposal. Kaidou was staring at her in shock, while Kuboyasu was eyeing Saiki with a mix of uncertainty and pity. Even Nendou looked unsure, scratching his head with a soft "ohh…"

Finally Teruhashi's eyes drifted towards Saiki. He appeared unimpressed with Yumehara's suggestion, but she knew better than that. Being with him in a small room, together with their friends? It was way too risky with his powers right now.

_'Call her off.' _Saiki was meeting her eye now, his gaze intense. He was right. This was a bad idea.

Teruhashi glanced back at Yumehara, who was grinning at her deviously. She probably thought she was doing her a solid. "U-uh, we shouldn't—" Teruhashi started.

"Awesome! That's decided then." Yumehara exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly. "Make sure you let them know we'll be coming with a group of six please, Kaidou-kun? Thank you~"

"Y… y-yes…" Kaidou stammered. He shrugged at Saiki apologetically, his palms facing upwards.

Teruhashi glanced at Saiki. He actually looked a bit unsettled, although the guys were probably assuming he felt uneasy for a different reason. They believed she rejected him weeks ago, after all.

_"I guess you'll be stuck with me," _she thought as she smiled reluctantly at Yumehara, who was already whispering her battle plans to her.

_'There is just no escaping you.' _He sounded annoyed, resigned and amused, all at the same time.

Teruhashi couldn't help but steal another glance at him. She caught only a glimpse through the classroom windows before he disappeared down the hallway, though. A smirk escaped her.

_Damn right._

* * *

Saiki had picked up her humming when she was still outside, walking down his street. Apparently just his keen anticipation of her upcoming visit was enough to trigger his telepathy now. Good grief. How was this spinning out of control so fast?

It was making him really nervous. Should he end it after all?

_No. Not yet._

There hadn't been any serious incidents yet. He might be okay. He might regain control. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

It was the start of their autumn break. Teruhashi was coming over to work on the science project that was due shortly after their holiday. And then maybe watch a movie.

That was what he'd told his mother, anyway.

He wondered if he should have told her instead that they'd be exploring their sexuality all day. Her response would have been the same. Geez.

"What are you playing?" Teruhashi asked in her honey-sweet voice just after she'd entered his bedroom. Saiki was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of his TV, with his back to her.

_'You wouldn't know it.'_ Mostly because it was the most obscure title he had obtained so far, and with good reason. It was by far the worst video game he'd ever played, easily trumping _Olfana's Story. _The same could be said for the level of frustration he was currently experiencing.

"That doesn't look so good." She was standing just behind him now, mocking the 24th demise of his poor character. The screen wailed. Saiki hit retry. His last life before he'd game over and would have to sit through another excruciating three hours of getting to this battle. In which case he would literally burn the damn disk.

_'Nearly had it that time,' _he grumbled._ 'Don't discuss these things with my mom, by the way. It's weird.' _The distraction had messed him up.

She just laughed at him. "She just asked how you were. It's not _that_ weird."

He scoffed. _'I beg to differ.' _His mother could have just asked him if she was so curious. He would have told her he was fine. Teruhashi's answer had been _way_ too detailed.

The first sequence of this pain-in-the-neck battle had just started. He could dream it by now. He heard something rustle behind him while he was mashing the buttons of his poor controller.

_What is she doing?_

He spotted something from both sides of his peripheral vision. He glanced away from the screen for a moment, just as he felt something wrap around his waist. Her arms. A warm softness pressed against his back. She was hugging him from behind, with her legs spread around him.

His heart rate must have doubled in the course of two seconds.

_What the hell is this? A wild Kokomi appears?_

_'Don't distract me,' _he hissed, finishing the first sequence only thanks to muscle memory. Just when he thought he was getting a bit used to this, she'd decided to stealth attack him. Good grief. He squirmed against her. He felt her _everywhere_.

He'd already forgotten if that was a bad thing right now or not. It felt nice. Warm. Soft. And so comfortable. She smelled like a fresh spring breeze.

_"You seem to be doing alright." _She was resting her chin on his shoulder now. Saiki blinked. Oh right, he was gaming. How was he supposed to continue playing like this? He grunted as he waited for the transition into the second sequence. He'd been a little cold, sitting on the floor here. Not anymore. Now he was overheating. She must be radiating more than just light. He could take off his sweater, but she would definitely misinterpret that right now.

Then he felt something warm tickle his tummy.

_W-what is—_

He glanced down, immediately taking an unnecessary hit from the boss. As in, the one on the TV screen. He cursed under his breath. Teruhashi's hand had just slid underneath his sweater. It was just resting on his lower abdomen right now. For now.

_'Good grief. You've only been here for like a minute,' _he complained. Half-heartedly. He took another hit. First from her lips in his neck, and a moment later from King Douchebag. Saiki was desperately trying to keep his focus on the awful game, although he wasn't quite sure why. It was already an impossible fight, and now he was playing with an extra handicap.

Besides, she was obviously inviting him to another, much better rated game.

Her fingers were slowly drawing figures around his belly button. It tickled. There was a reason why he couldn't give in to her right now. Was it the video game? No, screw the game. What was it?

_Oh._

_'Stop it. My mom's home.'_

"Ku-chan?"

Saiki froze. Yikes. She was standing right outside his door. He tried to wriggle out of his amorous friend's grasp. What if his mother came in?

The door remained closed though. Either his mother was sick or the gods were interfering for the sake of their all-time favorite's privacy. "I'm going to the shop now. Do you want anything?"

Saiki glanced sideways at Teruhashi as his mother made that perfectly-timed announcement.

"…no," he said out loud, with a voice break that his guest apparently found amusing. "No, we're good."

"Alrighty then~!" his mother chirped. He'd stopped fidgeting. This girl wasn't going to let him go anyway. He could lift a small house right now, but he was at her whim, ultimately. That warm glow of her silky smooth cheek brushing his own left him breathless.

"I'll be out for a while. Be good kids!" His mother's voice faded away slowly. Normally he would hear her slam the front door shut, clumsy as she was. Now he just heard the thundering sound of his own heartbeat. And somewhere in the distance the grunts of his abandoned character.

"You're dying," she whispered in his ear.

_'You're killing me.'_ He was expecting a stomach punch for his sarcasm, but she just tightened her grasp, nuzzling him. Her romantic advances were not helping with him trying to keep this recently awakened libido in check. Maybe it was trying to make up for the years he'd missed. It was driving him up the wall. He'd had no idea that being with her would be so fiercely addictive. Was it normal to crave her all the time? Prime him with a single touch or look? His only peace of mind was that the feeling seemed to be… kind of mutual.

Her hand was still underneath his sweater, exploring, moving with the rhythm of his breathing. Her fingers trailed the edge of his jeans, teasing him, igniting him, but respecting the boundary all the same. Handle with care, she knew by now. You never knew what you might set off.

Saiki let go of the controller and leaned back into her. _'All right. Let's play your game then. Since you ruined mine.' _

Her free hand traveled up to his cheek, turning his face towards her. "Get over here," she purred with a grin, before she leaned in to kiss him. And that was it. Game over. He turned around, fully facing her now, yielding to her kiss. Good grief, she really was everywhere. Her arms and her legs and her lips and her breasts. She was all around him. She might just swallow him whole.

Yeah, he was pretty sure the feeling was mutual.

That burning fever was coursing through his veins now, overtaking his body and his mind. Whether that was his desire or his powers still remained to be seen, and at this point he would never particularly care for an answer to that question. His simple truth was that she invigorated him with her touches, her presence and sometimes even just her existence. He didn't know how, or why, but she did, and it made him feel more alive than ever.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, his fingers pulling up her top just a little to stroke her sides much in the same way she had done to his belly. She was ticklish there, so she was squirming in his arms in no time, even though his fingers were barely moving. Okay, maybe a little bit.

She complained, of course, because she could mess with his game but he was not allowed to mess with hers. He was instructed to move them into a more comfortable position, as a means to redemption for his wrongdoing. It wasn't a bad idea per se, because the floor was hard and cold and there were much better options available, and there was just something about floating through the room, uninterrupted in whatever their current activity might be at that time. So Saiki levitated them upwards. Her arms tightened instinctively around his neck, her legs clinging to him as if she might fall any moment. As if he would let that happen.

He was about to move them over to his bed, but then he had a different idea. She wanted comfortable, so she was going to get comfortable. He turned off the blaring TV by snapping his fingers, and he figured he may as well telekinetically peel the disk out of the game console and burn it in midair because he was _not_ playing that ever again. He flicked his hand towards the radio across the room, turning it on and switching it to a disgustingly cheesy romantic channel. The lengths he was prepared to go to, for her. She'd better appreciate it. Meanwhile, Teruhashi was just watching him as he went about his business with his arm loosely draped around her waist, the both of them still casually hovering a couple of feet above the floor. Her thoughts were filled with awe, as he knew they would be, and _no,_ that was not why he might be showing off just a bit.

Next he pointed his other arm at his bed and lifted the entire thing upwards, then beckoned it to come closer. He placed it underneath them with a soft thud. Why would you move to a more comfortable place when the place could just move to you, right.

And just because he could, Saiki closed the curtains and brought over a bunch of candles from a chest of drawers two rooms down the hall. The door flung open to let them in, startling the bluenette in his arms for a moment. The candles lit up to the rhythm of the upbeat song on the radio as they danced through the air, before each one of them found their own spot around the bed. The door gently closed behind them a moment later.

_"He really is a wizard," _he heard her think in wonderment. He supposed it was a bit similar to some scenes from a certain Disney movie. _Hockety pockety wockety wack._

He must have looked awfully smug, considering that was the first thing that came to her mind when she returned her gaze to him.

"Nice," she chuckled. "But… I'm missing the rose petals."

He sighed at her. _'You're impossible to please.'_

"You say that, but…" Her thoughts were halfway through a sly innuendo before they trailed off, possibly because she caught him staring at her. He had been intrigued with the flickering of the candlelight in her eyes. Good grief, she was entrancing. He might be a wizard, but she was supernatural in her own way. A goddess, a muse. His muse. The key to his transcendence.

She took his breath away.

Locking eyes with her used to make him so uncomfortable. There was still a tension now, but it was a pleasant one. Exciting. It would ignite something in him, in his chest and his tummy and sometimes even lower still. She leaned in slowly, kissing him tenderly as she ran her hand through his hair, entangling her legs with his. She tasted so sweet.

Just before he submitted to her fully, he had the notion that they were actually still afloat in midair. They descended onto his bed carefully, already well on their way with the introduction to her game. They had played it before. She would be eager for battle, and he her willing sparring partner.

Before long their game would turn into a playful romp. She would get fed up with his clothes, usually his sweater first, and she would help him get rid of it. His hand would find the little zipper hidden in her skirt, maybe, if he didn't get distracted elsewhere. Even with his full attention, he would always struggle with her bra, the spawn of evil. Sometimes he would just apport the blasted thing into his hand. She had expensive taste in lingerie, so it would usually swap for his trousers. It cracked her up every time her chest would suddenly be draped in his legwear. Not to mention where her bra would end up sometimes.

Their frolic would soon transition into something much more graceful. A dance of kisses and caresses, skin on skin, of fire and lightning. It was fun, exhilarating and extremely fulfilling. A little bit dangerous, too, but that didn't scare them. He didn't care once she set him ablaze, and she liked playing with fire.

In time she would invite him in. Sometimes she would rush and at other times she would make him wait, like the tease she was, but wait he would. Because it would be worth it, as they would become that perfect fit, their connection complete. Their dance would continue, evolve, every motion better than the last. Like a thunderstorm rolling in slowly, with lightning cracking, eventually finding beautiful completion in a fulmination of passion.

Quite literally sometimes, too.

Yes. It was a good game, and he was looking forward to playing it with her.

"Game on," he whispered against her lips, his hand already scouting for that zipper in her skirt.

.

* * *

_Do I really have to do this?_

Saiki was waiting for the train to take them to the neighboring town, with his hands in his pockets and a face like thunder. Nendou, Kaidou and Kuboyasu were already with him, engaged in small talk amongst themselves. The girls should be arriving any moment now.

Saiki sighed. Here he was again. Snared into an awkward outing with them against his will, at the start of a holiday that could be enjoyed in a much better way. Like staying at home with Teruhashi, alone. Like yesterday.

He should take extra caution. An inconvenient pattern was emerging, one of even stronger unruly power surges when he'd see her again after they had… fooled around. Her increased vibrancy — he couldn't think of a different reason — was becoming really troublesome for him. Maybe he should ask her to tone it down a little. Hopefully she had more control over her abilities than he had over his.

In retrospect, maybe they shouldn't have done that yesterday. Not like he'd had much of a choice, though. Resistance was futile. And impossible.

No. He would ignore her and he would be fine. He hoped.

"_Offu!_ Teruhashi-san! Oh, and hi, Yumehara-san," the goons exclaimed. Saiki rolled his eyes.

"Let's go—" he intended to grumble, but his words got stuck in his throat as the girls entered his vision. Good grief, she was striking today. How did she do it? He quickly started studying the pavement. He would _not _gawk at her this time.

"Hey guys!" Yumehara cheered. Her excitement matched Kaidou's as they eagerly started chatting away together. Meanwhile Saiki was trying to count the cigarette butts on the floor.

_"Saiki-kun won't even look at her. He might have it even worse than I'd thought. I'll have to do my best. Love will triumph, Kokomi!" _Saiki didn't even know how Yumehara was able to have such intricate thought processes whilst she was in the middle of a conversation with her crush. Maybe it was just second nature to her.

_What a pain._

Did they take him for a lovesick puppy? The idea alone was insufferable. He didn't even _do_ love. She couldn't be further from the truth. Saiki straightened his shoulders and lifted his gaze, instantly meeting Teruhashi's. Geez. Maybe they were magnetic. There was something different about her today. Oh right, the jeans. Comfortable wear. Right. They still looked good on her. Definitely.

He should probably look away. He didn't. A moment later, an unusual question tickled the back of his mind.

_Should she be naked right now?_

No. They were at the train station. It would not be appropriate for her to be naked right now. He was pretty sure.

So why were his eyes appreciating her perfect curves? Her irresistible bosom? Her—

He felt a sudden heat rush to his face. Saiki blinked and quickly averted his eyes. Yumehara's inner cackling about her perceived success for her friend invaded his mind. Kuboyasu's thoughts were full of pity for him, and Kaidou was just panicking. He still couldn't hear Nendou's thoughts, and right now he didn't mind that at all.

Then there was that final snickering thought, applauding him for a very convincing performance. Saiki contemplated telling her that his x-ray vision had triggered, but he decided against it. He hadn't been bothered much by that power and he'd desperately hoped it would stay that way. Life had been bliss without it. Being able to… _see_… had enlightened his world.

Saiki remained silent and managed to calm himself down. The train pulled in a moment later, taking them on the short ride to the neighboring town. He'd already suffered his blasted power leak of the day, so he should be okay now.

Surely nothing would go wrong.

* * *

The train ride had been so weird. The majority of the time, everyone had interacted much like they'd used to do before the summer break. They had been a pretty tight group of friends after all, often doing homework together, and sometimes even just hanging out. But then the summer holidays had hit, and soon after things had gotten awkward between her and Saiki. Their friends had caught on and the group had silently split.

Despite that, they were all still friends at heart though, and being out together just reaffirmed that. The atmosphere would be jovial, with the boys poking fun at each other, the girls laughing at them, and then there would be Saiki quietly observing the whole thing from the sideline. Well, he'd be looking out the window, resting his head on his hand and looking the epitome of boredom, but Teruhashi knew now that he enjoyed their company in his own way.

So the mood would be cheerful, right until they'd remember that things were supposed to be awkward and the atmosphere would change to exactly that. Fortunately things got a little bit better once they had the distraction of the riddles in the escape room.

The escape room facility was situated in the city center, which was hard to believe once they'd set foot inside the place. They now appeared to be inside a cozy looking log cabin. The interior was done well — she'd seen much worse — with a fireplace that looked very real, and fortunately for her and Saiki, the room was fairly spacious. They were running from some sort of crazy lumberjack axe murderer this time. Kaidou was darting around the room in excitement without actually getting much done, but Kuboyasu had caught on quickly with the whole idea of solving puzzles to progress. Then there was Nendou, who was just admiring the stuffed animal props. She and Saiki were just attempting to solo it and help the others out whenever they could, without being in each other's way.

Teruhashi glanced at her beau. He'd been quiet. Now that in itself was not unusual for him, but it'd been quiet inside her head as well. She hoped he was okay.

_'I'm fine. Just trying to survive Yumehara-san.'_

_"Yeah… sorry about that." _Yumehara still believed that Saiki had commitment issues and just needed a little push. And she was giving him plenty of those. Teruhashi knew her friend meant well, but what was she actually trying to achieve by attempting to corner him together with her? Fortunately Saiki was the master of avoidance and constantly two steps ahead of her. After not too long Yumehara gave up, her focus returning to her own love interest.

"This thing is rigged!" Kuboyasu suddenly barked, veins popping on his forehead. He was banging on a metal box with several switches in a corner of the room. The switches had symbols next to them and a led light, indicating whether they were on or off. They had found a couple of symbols with the setting for the corresponding switch hidden around the room, but not all.

"Let's find the remaining sym—" Teruhashi started with a smile, but Kuboyasu had already grabbed a poker from the fireplace and was about to take a swing at the poor box.

"Wait! Stop—" she screeched over the loud ambience, just as a flash of pink flew past her. A moment later Saiki was holding back Kuboyasu's arm, the poker only inches off the metal box.

"…no need to destroy anything to progress, the Game Master said," Saiki reminded his hot-headed friend coolly.

Kuboyasu lowered the poker after a moment. "Oh… right," he said, panting. Saiki nodded at him, and then told him to check the handle of the poker. Judging from his friend's reaction, they'd just found another symbol.

Nendou walked over, petting a stuffed blackbird. "Ohh?" He observed the box for a moment. "Oh, they look just like markings on my little pals."

Saiki, Kuboyasu and Teruhashi glanced at each other for a second before they quickly moved over to get the remaining switch settings from the stuffed animals so that they could proceed.

Kaidou and Yumehara must have just completed the puzzle they were working on as well, because a moment later the fireplace opened up. It revealed a secret passageway. Teruhashi had already expected that to happen, as the mechanic wasn't exactly novel and she'd found no other ways to get out of this room. Still, it remained a cool feature, and the rest of her group cheered. She even spotted Saiki cracking a sweet little smile from the corner of her eye.

The atmosphere quickly darkened when they entered the next room. It looked like a dungeon, with chained skeletons in tiny cells and a setup that wouldn't look misplaced in a medieval butcher's shop. The lighting was poor, so it didn't come as a big surprise when the first riddle rewarded them with a flashlight. Now they could actually _see_ that there was a trapdoor hidden under one of the skeletons, revealing some kind of crawl space underneath. It was pitch black, and Kaidou had already run off with the flashlight to explore the rest of the place. Teruhashi went in to check the crawl space anyway, her eyes quickly adapting to the dark. She brightened up the place wherever she went, so that may have helped with her vision too.

She was happy she was wearing the right gear as she shuffled through the sand. A perfect girl always came prepared, after all. Even if it meant having to wear trousers. A moment later she heard someone sigh behind her.

"…huh? Saiki-kun? she asked the dark. And then, switching to her thoughts, _"what are you doing here?"_

_'Yumehara-san insisted I follow you' _he groaned. Teruhashi chuckled. She knew what it was like when that girl made you an offer you couldn't refuse. Together they continued forward.

The crawl space lead into a larger room where they could stand again, although it was still equally dark. They should probably go and get that flashlight, but Saiki was already inspecting the room. She could just make out his silhouette, which seemed to be beckoning at her, so she walked over to him. They were standing in front of some sort of panel.

_'Can you shine a light here?' _he asked her. _'I can't quite make it out.'_

"Eh?"

_'Just think about what we did yesterday.'_

She could only just make out his features, but that quirky little smirk brought her right back to the day before, when he had hovered over her, his—

_'Thanks, that'll do.'_

—his hands fondling her, touching where she had never been tou—

_'Enough.'_

—not to mention his lips, his tongue—

"Stop it!" he hissed out loud, and right at that moment they got blinded by a bright light, finally snapping her out of her trance.

"S-Saiki…?" she heard Kaidou's trembling voice. Teruhashi blinked a couple of times, trying to get the blotches to disappear from her vision.

_Why does he sound so afraid?_

She heard Kaidou gulp and stutter.

"W-why are you… are you _floating_…?"

* * *

**Author's note:** Don't be shy to leave some love! Please leave a comment if you've enjoyed my work!


	19. Questions

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry for the delay in updates. I've been very busy with my new puppy and at the same time I've noticed a decrease in feedback from the community on the latest chapters. Maybe the story is getting stale, or people aren't happy with the direction anymore, I don't know — either way I've had a big dip in inspiration and will to write and am not quite sure how to proceed with the story, if at all.

Having said that, I finally managed to squeeze this chapter out. I'm not sure about it myself, having rewritten it so many times, and I originally had more scenes planned too. I felt an update was way overdue though, so here it is anyway. I hope you'll still enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 19 – Questions**

* * *

_Clatter—clank—clash— _

The sound of the flashlight hitting the tiles was deafening. It wasn't just metal meeting stone — it was darker, slower, like a thunder rolling in menacingly. The way the beam of light leapt across the room was almost surreal.

At last, the flashlight halted its dance of doom, pointing its rays right at Saiki's floating visual like an accusing finger.

_No._

This was it. The moment he'd dreaded. The reason he'd kept saying no.

Kaidou's jaw may have hit the floor. For all the _chuunibyou_'s wild claims of supernatural powers, he was shockingly bad at dealing with just a simple display of harmless levitation. He was just gaping, paralyzed and speechless. Teruhashi and himself weren't much different, to be frank. Saiki's mind was racing though, trying to think of a way to get out of this situation. For a split second, he considered putting the blame onto the Dark Reunion somehow. This was Kaidou, after all. It might work. Maybe the _Black Beat_ could be leaking from his bandaged arms, causing surges of—

"Eh? S-Saiki-kun?" Yumehara's voice cut through the silence. "W-what's going on here…?" She appeared from behind Kaidou a moment later, a similar look of disbelief written all over her face.

_Too late._

Holding imaginative evil organizations responsible might do the job for Kaidou, but there was no way Yumehara would fall for it as well. Saiki had been so preoccupied with the shock of his friend's unexpected discovery that he was still hovering a foot above the ground. His eyes darted around the room. How could he fix this?

'_Do something.' _He glanced at Teruhashi from the corner of his eye. Her thoughts were still eerily silent. '_To me,' _he added a moment posture was frozen, stiff, not bold and bright like usual. Where was her amazing recovery when he actually needed it?

'_Boost me, quick!'_ he hissed into her mind. The control panel in front of them had given him an idea, but he needed more control over his powers for it.

She blinked, at last. _"What? Oh… uh…" _Saiki heard her trying to think of a way to jack him up without actually getting physical.

"_Um… I'm not wearing any underwear," _she disclosed a moment later.

'…_what?' _Saiki looked at her in shock. _'Wait, really?' _he asked incredulously. That was… unexpected. Interesting.

She tilted her head impatiently towards Kaidou and Yumehara though. Oh, right. Now was not really the time for that.

"Good grief. This feels weird," Saiki said out loud. He didn't need to put on much of an act to appear surprised, even though it was for all the wrong reasons. Half his mind was with saving his own ass and the other half with what was going on underneath her— Geez, _not now_. He pressed a random button on the control panel with a little too much force, out of sheer frustration with the ridiculous effects she had on him nowadays. He heard a crack. Oops. Of course the machine itself did nothing — it was just a dud, as expected. He let his feet touch the ground again a moment later.

"Here, you try it," he said to Teruhashi, stepping aside and taking her hand. She was so soft and warm, as always. Sparks tingled his fingers at the moment of contact, as if a current passed through them. Maybe it did, because the dark room lit up a little when they touched. They might be more alike than he'd thought.

'_Just play along.' _She nodded at him as he gently moved her into the spot where he had just been standing.

Saiki hit one of the buttons on the control panel again. Then he used his telekinesis as inconspicuously as possible, lifting Teruhashi slowly off the floor. An echo of gasps filled the room while he kept her afloat for a couple more seconds.

"Th... t-that's…" Kaidou stuttered, wide-eyed. "...that's…"

A smile slowly crept across his face, blossoming into a grin that spanned from ear to ear.

"AWESOME!" he shrieked, beaming exuberance, like a child that had just received a golden ticket to a chocolate factory.

Kaidou scrambled over to them as fast as he could. "Can I try? Is it this button?" A moment later the shortest member of the group was towering them all, hovering above the ground as well.

"WOOOAAH! THIS IS SO COOL! How did they do that?!" Kaidou was beside himself with excitement, moving his hands and feet as if he was treading water. "Yumehara-san, check this out!"

Saiki and Teruhashi stepped aside, making room for their friends to play with this most unconventional escape room oddity. Saiki should probably have taken a little more notice of the small milestone that was happening before his eyes — Kaidou finding himself accidentally but happily holding hands with Yumehara as they were both suspended in midair, giddy with joy, giggling and chortling over the absurdity of it.

Instead though, Saiki's focus was still on damage control. He took a moment to check in on the Game Master, because it would be rather troublesome if anyone else became aware of this unique feature that he'd only just introduced. He'd noticed some monitors behind the counter on their way in, after all. Others might be watching. Saiki crossed his eyes, but all he saw with his clairvoyance was the Game Master putting on nail polish and busily chatting away on her phone. She was paying no mind to the camera feed at all. Excellent. He glanced at the corner of the ceiling where the camera was hiding and gave the wires a gentle telekinetic tug, unplugging them. That should do it.

A deep breath escaped him, one he didn't realize he'd been holding. It looked like his secret was still safe… for now. He might not even have to wipe their memories. Who knew what they'd be replaced with if he tried that. They'd found him and Teruhashi alone in a dark room, after all. He might just be trading one secret for the other.

No, this should do. He'd successfully dodged this bullet. Even if only just.

Of course, Kaidou got cold feet soon enough, so he had run off to fetch Nendou and Kuboyasu instead. The latter seemed a little concerned about the strange device's physics for a moment, but the setting put even the sceptical ex-delinquent at ease. It was a riddle room, after all, full of weird quirks. The entire place was basically magic to them.

_"Good job," _Teruhashi thought at last. She was still standing next to him.

_'Hm. Thank you.' _Saiki looked at her from the corner of his eye. She looked so calm and collected, smiling gently at their friends who were having a blast in front of the control panel. So innocent and pure. Angelic. Saintly.

Looks could be deceiving, indeed.

_'Saved by your panties,' _he continued with a smirk as he lifted Nendou up next._ 'Or lack thereof.'_

A chuckle broke through her perfect barrier.

'…_is it true?' _He was just curious. And maybe a little intrigued.

"_Down, boy."_ She folded her arms, glancing at him with a coy little smile. _"Did you already forget what just got you in trouble?"_

_'That's why I'm asking. I need a pick-me-up,' _he lied, nodding at the massive idiot he was keeping afloat with telekinesis. _'He's heavy.' _She might have a point though. He did tend to get a little forgetful around her.

Especially when she was smiling at him like that.

She knew he was bending the truth just a little, and she was loving it. Surprisingly enough, her thoughts hadn't given away the answer to his question yet, which meant she was making a huge effort to not think about it. She'd been getting better with that. Saiki suspected that she was training herself in _not-thinking _when he wasn't around. He tried to pick her brain, quite literally, but she was putting up a bit of a fight. It was like mental wrestling. It was fun, and more of a challenge than the physical version. He had pinned her down with just his pinkie the other day, not budging despite her best efforts to get away from his "grasp". That was, of course, right until the moment she'd stopped fussing. Saiki wasn't sure if it had been the giggling fit, the color of her cheeks rivalling that of his hair, or that enticing look in her eyes, but either way he had been overwhelmed with the desire to kiss her. He'd resisted the urge for a moment before giving in to the temptation anyway.

She was giving him a similar look now. Hmm. The desire was there, alright. It worked both ways though, so her mental defense was weakening. He peeked around the corner of the budding thought that she was trying not to think. She might really be telling the tru—

_"What's going on with these two?" _Kuboyasu's thought pierced Saiki's mind like a needle would a balloon, instantly wiping the psychic's mischievous grin off his face.

_Shit._

"Oohf!" Nendou grunted loudly as he hit the ground. Saiki winced, hardly registering that Teruhashi had just thought him a klutz. He glanced at Kuboyasu. The old gang member was still eyeing them suspiciously. Geez. One outing with her and he'd already risked exposing both of his secrets. The interaction between Teruhashi and himself just now had naturally been silent, but their glances and smiles might have given off a vibe that could be interpreted as a little playful, and perhaps even flirtatious.

As if he would ever flirt.

"You're too heavy for it, Nendou!" Kaidou concluded as he tried to help the poor big oaf back to his feet. The effort was futile, of course, because Nendou was too heavy for him as well.

"Whahaha, you're so weak, chibi!" Nendou roared with laughter as he tried to stand up. His leg gave out immediately though. "Ooh, I think I twisted my ankle."

_Sorry, partner._

Saiki frowned. There was no way he could cast restoration on Nendou right now. It would be too unnatural, plus he would need another boost for it. He couldn't risk another power surge though, or give Kuboyasu any more reason to question the nature of his relationship with Teruhashi. Nendou's little tumble had been an unintentional but welcome distraction, at least. Kuboyasu was trying to help him back to his feet now, without much luck. They should use the diversion to get their act back together. It was not safe to continue like this. He'd already injured the poor simpleton with his carelessness.

Saiki sighed. Keeping up appearances was such a pain.

_'We should split up,'_ he decided. His tone may have been a little grim.

"Eh?!" Teruhashi yelped out loud, staring at him in shock. Panic was pouring from her mind straight into his. Everyone else was watching her now, wondering what had made her cry out like that.

_'Good gr… not_ _like _that_. Just… keep some distance. While we're in here,' _he huffed, leaning back against the wall behind them with a scowl.

"_Oh… I t-thought you meant…" _Even her thoughts were stuttering. He'd startled her to the point where she was actually gasping for air. Saiki tried to shake off the heavy sensation that might be a pang of guilt.

_Maybe I should apologize._

'_I know. I did not,__' _he grumbled instead, folding his arms. He let out an exasperated sigh. They were standing out _way_ too much, seriously.

Her misinterpretation of his words annoyed him. She would always get nervous after his powers had spilled, fearing he'd break it off. It was such a pain. Good grief. Ironically though, it annoyed him even more that _that_ annoyed him. He couldn't really blame her, after all. This fling, however fervent it might be, was still fragile. She did not need telepathy to know what was going on inside his head, and she knew the reality check would hit him hard each and every time, and try to set him straight.

Not this time, though. It had been the worst leak yet, and quitting hadn't even crossed his mind.

_Why not?_

That realization made him a little uncomfortable.

_What's going on?_

They'd gone into this… entanglement, in the hope of finding another way to handle his out-of-control powers. Instead, he had only become more unstable. She'd wanted to help him, but all she'd achieved so far was to trigger him more, not less.

None of which was really her fault, to be fair. She didn't mean to trigger him. She did a better job of ignoring him than the other way around. Even what had happened tonight was only because he'd been negligent. He was the problem here, not her. He'd just become too… sensitive to her presence. To _her. _She'd evoked a resonance in him that amplified his powers, consciously or otherwise.

A few weeks ago, the memory of making love to her would have crushed him. Now it would literally lift him off his feet.

She'd unlocked something in him that should have remained sealed. And it looked like she would continue to do so.

It was a no-brainer, really. Obviously it was not worth the risk.

And yet…

And yet it suddenly became clear to him that he would rather face exposure than lose what they had.

_It makes no sense at all._

This thing between them just kept taking new shapes and forms, evolving the very moment he thought he had a grasp on it. It was confusing the hell out of him. Maybe he just wasn't thinking straight anymore?

Of course he'd considered that this thing might just be hormonal. The attraction, the craving, the shock waves when they touched… he felt like a sleazeball for it, but surely it was just lust. And lust would fade, eventually. Maybe it was just a matter of hanging in there until these sensations would normalize.

…but this wasn't fading. Whatever it was… it was growing.

Saiki wasn't sure how he felt about that.

He glanced at her. Teruhashi had, as expected, already regained her composure, laughing away her outburst and making the rest believe that she'd mistaken his shadow for a mouse. She looked a little flustered with those rosy cheeks, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear nervously. He couldn't even figure out if that was part of her act or a result of the heart attack he'd just given her. The others bought her performance immediately — after all, her acting skills were unmatched — and reverted their attention back to Nendou. Not his attention though. Their eyes met briefly when she looked back at him, and then she smiled at him almost knowingly, despite his snub just a moment ago.

His heart fluttered.

_Is it really just lust?_

Saiki shook his head and shuffled over to his friends, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He'd figure that one out another time.

"Oh, this feels like that time I saved a bug on the road and got hit by a truck," Nendou remarked offhandedly, his tone not much different from usual. He was still on the floor, _oh_-ing and rubbing his ankle.

_Why on earth would you save a bug? Also, how did you survive?_

Teruhashi had moved over to them as well and was now kneeling next to Nendou. "Oh… _offu! _T-teruhashi-san!" he stuttered with a blush when she asked him to remove his shoe so she could inspect his ankle. Somehow Saiki was annoyed by his idiotic face even more than usual.

"_Did he really just sprain his ankle?"_ he heard her think. Upon closer inspection, he understood why. That foot looked kind of warped. Hm. If he had his x-ray vision right now, he could chec—

_Never mind the sprain. Did someone _flay_ his foot?_

Saiki blinked in confusion. Nendou's foot still looked off, but at least it had skin now. A moment later he saw the muscles and ligaments again. Another moment later he was viewing the bones.

Or rather, what was left of them.

Saiki wasn't sure which was more of a surprise to him: the fact that Nendou had somehow manage to shatter _all_ of the bones in his foot, or that his x-ray vision had triggered right when he'd needed it.

_Did I just activate a passive power?_

Saiki blinked again, and waited. That was it. All he saw was just Nendou's deformed, disgusting, stinky foot.

He was baffled. The one consistency in the return of his powers had been arousal. He needed to be aroused for his powers to be accessible. That was what she triggered in him, and that was why it'd made sense to believe that he was, in fact, just in lust. And nothing more.

That was why he couldn't possibly heal Nendou right now. Not in his current state of mind. That was just not how it worked anymore. Saiki tapped Nendou ever so slightly with the tip of his shoe.

_See, there is no way I can use restoration right no-_

"Oh, I'm okay now," Nendou rumbled as he got to his feet. "Let's go get some ramen."

_Wait. What?_

Saiki felt dazed. He may have heard someone exclaim that Teruhashi performed yet another miracle, but he wasn't really following.

_What the hell is happening? Did I get some control back? Did I get _more_ control? How? Why?_

He had so many questions. Questions he couldn't possibly ask her, or expect her to know the answer to.

"_It's written in the stars."_

…but _she_ would.

The memory almost twinkled in his mind, much like her crystal ball. She basically owed him a coffee jelly anyway, for eating his, back on that dreary day in that shitty café.

Saiki took a step back and watched as his friends gathered around Teruhashi, praising her for her healing touch. No one even questioned the impossibility of it. It was just one of the things that she did. They may not even be that far off. She did have a way of mending what was broken.

_Maybe I have been going about this the wrong way._

An apology for stealing his thunder drifted into his mind. Saiki smirked. This was her triumph as much as it was his. He could probably get out of any jam as long as they combined their powers.

_Together, we really might be invincible._


	20. A Rose By Any Other Name

**Author's Note: **Well, look what we have here! Who'd have thought. Me, least of all. First of all, an apology is in order. I burned out on writing so hard that honestly, I thought I would never continue this story again.

And even though it.. sort of.. finished on a soft ending last chapter, it just didn't feel right. There are loose ends, bread crumbs I've left intentionally throughout the chapters, and I'd really hoped I could do something more with that. It's a challenge to continue this with the same excitement and quality that the first, say, 15 (lol.. holy shit) chapters had though, so I kept abandoning mission. If I couldn't do it right, then I'd rather not do it at all.

And if it weren't for the comments of my readers that kept trickling in over the weeks, months, I probably would have left it at that. Thanks to those people that took the effort to leave some love. That is what got me inspired to try again after all those months.

Please enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 20 – A Rose By Any Other Name**

* * *

_What's going on?_

Nothing made sense anymore. He thought he understood how his powers worked nowadays. But did he really?

He wasn't just getting stronger. Something else was changing too.

The way they worked. His control. Was it…

_Everything is changing._

His powers. The way she triggered him.

_He_ was changing.

How he no longer preferred to spend his free time in solitude. That constant warm glow in his stomach. That paradoxical feeling of euphoria, despite it being interwoven with anxiety.

He knew it was all connected. But how?

_Why?_

He might know why.

The notion tied a knot in his stomach. He wasn't ready to deal with that option. Or with the consequences it had. There was no way that he possibly could.

It was just not something he was capable of.

Or was he?

_What the hell is happening?_

He was losing his goddamn mind.

* * *

_What's going on?_

Teruhashi wasn't sure what to think. Saiki would normally stew for a bit after having accidentally used his powers in public, but she'd be able to break through to him soon after. He would reconnect with her and they'd kiss and make up… well, symbolically, and often telepathically, at least. And then they'd be fine.

And it had seemed like that would be the case again this time. Initially he'd appeared to have recovered normally after defying the law of gravity back in the escape room. Their group had lost precious time in that room, but with their help, they'd been able to pick up the pace afterwards. Much like their previous time with the double date, they'd finished just before time ran out. Nendou had been hungry for ramen afterwards, so here they were: eating ramen with the six of them. By now, everyone appeared to have completely forgotten about the supposed tension between her and Saiki, so the atmosphere really was just like old times. Everyone was preoccupied with the thrill of their escape room victory, discussing the puzzles and sometimes downright… _strange _mechanics energetically.

Well, everyone except for one certain individual, of course.

Saiki had gone completely quiet ever since that incident with Nendou's foot. Of course, no one had noticed, with him being a man of few words. The silence inside her own head was deafening, though.

_What's eating him this time?_

It didn't seem like he was purposely avoiding her. He was just not engaging. He didn't even seem to be registering her thoughts right now.

She glanced up at him. He was just chewing on his noodles in silence. At that point she felt a gentle nudge in her side, so she turned her head. Teruhashi found Yumehara beaming a supportive smile at her from the seat next to her.

Her friend had made sure to sit right across from Kaidou, with Teruhashi her neighbor, facing Saiki. The pink-haired black hole hadn't even flinched at the obvious, very intentional setup, sitting down opposite her without so much as a word, a glance, or even a thought. He'd been too lost in his own.

"That floating machine was so cool, right?" Yumehara may have been looking her way, but it was obvious the question wasn't meant for her. She was basically purring.

"It was awesome!" Kaidou took the bait willingly, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"I can't believe it could hold two people at once..." she continued, her cheeks turning pink. She probably couldn't believe that they had held hands during that weightless moment in the air together, either, but of course her remark was way too subtle for the _chuunibyou_.

"Well, if it can hold this gorilla, surely it can hold the both of you," Kuboyasu added with a wink whilst pointing at Nendou. They were seated on the other side of Kaidou and Yumehara.

"Yeah! It's super strong!" Kaidou nodded eagerly. "I still don't get why the Game Master seemed to deny its existence afterwards, though." He put his bandaged finger to his lip pensively. "Maybe it's lost technology... wouldn't put it past the Dark Reunion..."

Yumehara glanced Teruhashi's way again and sighed with a knowing little smile. She made a quick, suggestive nod towards Saiki before continuing her loud conversation with Kaidou.

_If only she knew_, Teruhashi thought, smirking to herself. Yumehara was still fighting two romantic battles and would not admit defeat.

Teruhashi stirred the contents of the bowl in front of her with her chopsticks, resting her head on one hand. It would be nice to be able to be open with her about Saiki. Well, not his powers of course. Just… about _them. _It would be fun to talk girl stuff with her. And maybe vent about the challenges in their relationship once in a while. Such as him shutting her out after having been triggered by the gods know what.

Guys were already terrible at communication. That was just a well-known fact. And then there was Saiki, who often didn't bother communicating _at all_.

She glanced up at him again, still half-expecting a response after thinking his name. He just kept staring at the condiments in front of him though, with glazed eyes.

_What's the point of telepathy if he's not listening?_

A wall would be more responsive than him right now.

Teruhashi felt another elbow in her side. Her eyebrow twitched. She wasn't the one that needed elbowing right now.

"Saiki-kun? Would you mind passing me the soy sauce?" she asked in her sweetest voice. Yumehara was not wrong — she was yearning for connection. Maybe she wasn't supposed to reach out in public, but he'd left her no choice.

He continued chewing his food like a bored bovine though.

"…"

_That bit about elbowing? Scratch that. A kick would be more appropriate. In the shins._

"Saiki-kun?" she tried again.

A moment later the point of her boot kissed his leg from underneath the table. Aggressively.

His eyes shot up, meeting hers at last. He looked confused, almost spooked, for a moment before shaking his head and sliding the little bottle in her direction. His gaze slowly, reluctantly, travelled back from the condiment to her.

It was kind of cute.

_'...what?' _He looked even more bewildered now. A small chuckle escaped her. He really had no idea. Her frustrations from a moment earlier melted away like snow on a beautiful winter's day.

"_Penny for your thoughts?" _she asked. Not that _that_ would be fair, given his… condition.

'_...no, it wouldn't be,' _he answered instead, avoiding her actual question.

Teruhashi observed the enigma in front of her. He was holding her gaze quietly. Although not mentally absent anymore, something about him still felt… off. It was almost as if he was studying her just as much as she was studying him. Trying to catch a glimpse of an answer just out of reach.

She sighed. _"Are you okay? I can't decide whether you're building a wall or not," _she admitted at last.

'_Wasn't planning to. You may put away your sledgehammer.' _He frowned. _'And drop the karate kicks.' _

She smirked. _"Sorry about that. I just don't like being ignored."_

The corner of his mouth twitched. _'Huh. You wouldn't say.'_

Teruhashi felt her cheeks flare up. That had been a not so subtle reference to her borderline stalking antics in her desperate attempts to get him to acknowledge her, and at times it still made her uncomfortable to know that he'd known all along.

"_S-shut up," _she managed as she started examining the contents of her bowl of food._ "Besides, you did stop ignoring me… in the end." _She took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. _"You did just now… and back then, too."_

She was expecting another jibe, but it remained silent inside her head. She glanced up at him.

'_Hm. I did,' _he mused, his tone almost as soft as his eyes. She didn't even know he was capable of actually _whispering_ telepathically until just now.

Maybe she should have put in more of an effort to dim the way she was beaming right now, but she just couldn't help it. These moments were so precious, and still so rare. She didn't even care that he was already trying to cover up that fleeting moment of tenderness by putting his scowl back in place. He'd looked so sweet, and it was so nice to be out here with him, and—

"_Offu! _Do you need anything, miss?" Was the waiter a ninja? He'd nearly made her jump out of her chair with his sudden appearance. "On the house, of course."

"A-ah no, t-thank y—" she started, trying to edge away from the young man, who was towering over her.

"Actually, I'd like a—" Kuboyasu tried, but the waiter started talking over him so fast that it was hard to make out what either of them was saying.

"Would you like a drink? Another serving?" The guy was inching closer with every question. "Do you want me to call a taxi? We'll cover the costs to get you home safely. We insist." She wasn't sure what was creeping her out more: his grin, that crazed look in his eyes, or the veins that were starting to pop on Kuboyasu's forehead."You could also wait for me to finish work in an hour, I'd gladly escort—"

_**KEERASSHHHH!**_

Teruhashi yelped at the sudden loud crash next to her. Looking to her side, she saw that the tray that the waiter had been holding was now on the floor. It had been full of — fortunately empty — glassware. The astounded waiter stuttered a quick apology before he finally retreated and started clearing up the mess he had created.

_If_ that had been his doing.

"Oh, be careful there, buddy." Nendou had gotten up from his seat to help tidy up. "I've worked in a ramen shop myself. Got fired for dropping some things, too." He guffawed, completely oblivious to the waiter's rapidly paling complexion. That might just be the shock of seeing Nendou's face up close for the first time, though.

Teruhashi took a deep breath and grabbed a new set of chopsticks as she'd just dropped the ones she was using. She looked up at Saiki. He was furrowing his brow a little, as if something was troubling him. _"Um… did you do that?" _she asked carefully.

'_Hm? What?' _His gaze remained fixed on the nearly-empty bowl in front of him. He looked a little annoyed with her interruption.

"_Did you flip that tray?"_ The timing had been just too perfect.

He glanced up at her, suddenly stone-faced as ever. _'Didn't touch the tray.'_

She stifled a giggle. "_I think I saw your pupils light up."_

He shook his head in denial_. 'You must be mistaken.'_

She tried to hide her grin by taking a bite. _"Uh huh. Of course." _She was hoping he'd counter with a silly excuse, but he chose to remain silent instead, bringing the bowl up to his face to sip the last of the broth.

'…_shouldn't be able to do it. Not without a boost,' _he muttered, putting the empty bowl back down.

_If that's his argument, then why does he sound so unsure?_

He looked so deep in thought, like he was trying to solve a puzzle.

"_So… are you going to tell me what's been bothering you?"_ She wasn't sure why he was looking at her like she'd caught him red-handed, since it'd been so blatantly obvious that something wasn't right._ "…is it about me?"_

She observed him for a moment. He'd had no trouble holding her gaze before, but this time his eyes darted away.

'…_it's not always about you.' _He sounded so gruff.

She scoffed half-heartedly. _"You're so mean." _He still wouldn't meet her eye. _"Also, you're a liar."_

He leaned back in his chair, rolling his eyes but not denying either of her accusations. She waited, giving him the opportunity to open up.

'…'

_Not going to happen. Not today. Maybe not ever._

He was scowling now. _'Good grief, I'm just tired. It's nothing.'_

Teruhashi considered rolling her eyes at him now, but she decided against it. Best not ruin the mood by becoming even more frustrated.

_"Alright. In that case..." _She'd started tapping her fingers on the table. Maybe she was a little irritated after all. _"I was going to ask if you'd like to come over tomorrow. But perhaps you're... too tired." _She couldn't help finishing her sentence with a taunting smile.

His eyes softened a little as he reciprocated her smirk. _'…too tired to deal with your brother, that's for sure.'_

She tried not to laugh. _"Hey, at least he's trying."_

'_If wishing me dead every time I'm within ten feet of you means that he's trying, then yes.' _ He folded his arms across his chest. _'It's so loud, I'm surprised you don't hear it too.'_

_"Honestly, sometimes I do."_ It was impossible to keep a straight face when he was being like this. _"But, no death wishes tomorrow. He's out of town for a couple of days, shooting a new movie. My um… my parents are with him. So you may approach me without fearing for your life."_

He squinted his eyes a little. _'Hm. I might.' _He paused for a moment. _'Actually, I've got somewhere to go first. I can drop by afterwards, though. If I'm not… too... tired.' _That smirk again.

She grinned at him. _"Well, I'm not the introvert here. It must be exhausting, seeing me all the time." _

'_You have no idea. Can't catch a break, even on a holiday.' _Could eyes smile? They were almost twinkling with amusement.

_"Yeah, poor you."_ She started fidgeting with the sleeve of her sweater, glancing back and forth between him and her hands. _"Look, um… you know you could, uh..."_ He was watching her struggle with a mix of amusement and curiosity now, and it wasn't helping to keep her stupid nerves at bay at all. Especially not when he was tilting his head like that. She cleared her throat, which was silly because she wasn't even using it. _"…uh, you could... stay the night." _

_Is my face on fire?_

Trying to casually invite him over had somehow gained the weight similar to that of a marriage proposal. Although she didn't think he'd be smiling so smugly if that were the case. _"I-I mean, sleep over. If you um, if you want to."_

One of his eyebrows perked up. '_...you use that bed for sleeping?' _His tone was so cheeky.

He'd called her out on her teasing once or twice, but in reality he was just as bad. If not worse. _"Um, yes. Yes I do," _she huffed._ "And so will you."_

'_I'm intrigued. You'll have to show me.' _He made no attempt to hide the grin on his face anymore.

She made a mental note to repay him in kind tomorrow. Getting him flustered was still relatively easy, and there was something cute about it, too. She eyed him up and down for a moment, producing a mischievous little smile. "_Oh, I will—"_

Kuboyasu's voice suddenly boomed from across the table.

"Aw, come on you two! Are you sure you're not dating?"

* * *

Kuboyasu's hearty laugh resounded like an overpowering roar, with everyone else having gone dead silent. They must all be looking at the two of them — Saiki wasn't sure. He just sat there, frozen in place. He'd been looking at Teruhashi when Kuboyasu voiced his inquiry of doom, so all he could register was her in her mortified state.

"You're like, constantly stealing glances at each other? And I swear I haven't seen Saiki smile this much in all the years I've known him," the ex-delinquent added with a cheeky grin.

Saiki wanted to run, but he didn't think he'd be able to do so if he tried. He felt like a criminal, stopped dead in his tracks, with the blinding beam of a guard's flashlight on him. He'd been careless — again — and now he'd been caught. Saiki wasn't sure how, but somehow Kuboyasu's thoughts had become background noise, much like all the others inside his head. Except for hers, of course.

The long silence that followed his friend's observation was so incredibly uncomfortable.

"U-um…" Teruhashi stuttered, smiling nervously. "We're just, um…" Her big blue eyes were darting between him and Kuboyasu, while she was silently begging him for backup.

"_I-I, I can't think of anything," _she said anxiously. "_Can't we, um… can't we just tell them that we're dating?"_

He blinked. _'…uh… are we?'_

In retrospect, he realized that it was a pretty dumb question, prompted by his own confusion about the nature of their connection. Even his incredible mind could only handle so much pressure though, and it had decided to falter right there and then.

It was already too late, though.

"…eh?" she asked, staring at him. The expression on her face was just as incomprehensible as the whirlwind of garbled, half-finished sentences that was going through her mind.

He understood one thing, though.

_She's upset._

"Are we d-... are you serious?" She rose from her chair slowly. She might have looked composed if it weren't for the slight tremors in her motion. She planted her hands on the table, slowly, deliberately, like a calculated move. Then she leaned forward a little. Ready to attack.

"What… what did you _think_ we were doing?" she hissed at him. At this point he realized she was talking out loud. For a moment he wondered if she was going to flip the table.

_She might be furious._

He didn't know what to do with Kuboyasu's question, and now he had absolutely no clue what to do with her. He could only gawk at her, stuck between her fire-spouting gaze and her tsunami of heart-wrenching thoughts.

_Are those tears?_

They were tears. And they were dousing her fiery fury just as quickly as it'd first appeared.

"Damn it Saiki! Are you in or out?" she gulped, clenching her hands into fists.

_What the hell just happened?_

He didn't know what to do. Half a minute ago he was worrying about coming clean to their closest friends and now he was apparently fighting an existential battle with his… his…

He'd wanted to tell her, but right at that moment she stormed out of the room.

Saiki blinked. The silence at the table was overwhelming.

_Should I…?_

He really should.

So he got up, and he followed her. Out the main dining room, into the hall.

"...holy shit, they _are_ dating," he heard Kuboyasu say with a gasp, on his way out.


	21. Coming Clean

**Author's Note: **What a heartwarming response on my last chapter. It's good to hear that people are still enjoying the story — I even received some fan art! How cool is that?

I've gotten terribly slow with writing, unfortunately, but at least I'm writing again, right?

Please enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 21 – Coming Clean**

* * *

Saiki softly shut the door, leaving the hubbub of the dining guests in the other room behind him. Normally the waves of unfiltered phrases would continue to flow into his mind relentlessly, no matter how many doors he put between himself and the rest of the world.

Not this time, though.

Right now all he could register were her subtle sobs. Her shaking frame in the corner of the entry hall.

It had felt like the right thing to do, to go after her. Now he had no idea what to say. He wasn't good with words. Obviously. He wouldn't be in this situation if he was. Being avoidant by nature, he'd rarely gotten into fights before. He'd never cared enough to bother with the effort of arguing, and disengaging had always worked just fine. He had little faith in his coping strategy of choice this time, though.

He would have to talk to her.

_Does she even know I'm here? _

She was still flaying him inside her head. Yikes.

_Maybe I shouldn't._

Saiki hesitated. He might just make it worse if he said the wrong thing now. Could it even get worse?

_...she could leave._

He'd always figured that she probably would leave, sooner or later. He had only been of interest to her because she couldn't have him, after all. But… now she did. With the thrill of the chase gone, she'd surely lose her fascination for him at some point and move on. It was bound to happen. He'd just need to hang in there until then. Until he would be alone again.

Another reason not to get too attached.

And yet here he was, trying to make things right again. He wasn't even sure what right was, anymore. He just knew that her tears weren't.

Life had been so much easier before he'd tried to seal away his powers. Good grief.

He took a step towards her, but at that moment he heard the buzz behind him getting louder again. Turning around, he found himself standing face-to-face with the vile waiter that had been harassing Teruhashi earlier on. His thoughts had been obscene before, his internal schemes bordering on legality.

They paled in comparison to what he was planning right now.

"Leave," Saiki growled. He got no more than an annoyed glimpse in return, though.

"Hey miss, need a hand here? Is he bothering you?" the lowlife shouted over Saiki's shoulder, whilst simultaneously trying to figure out her cup size.

Something welled up in his chest. Something hot, fiery, molten, almost like lava. A hundred ways to set the guy straight flashed through his mind. Saiki gritted his teeth. Good grief, he'd better control himself. He looked past the subject of his anger, back into the dining area as the door had been left ajar. His eyes landed on the tray with broken glass that was sitting on the bar counter. The sleazeball must have put it there before he'd rushed after Teruhashi.

Its placement on that countertop seemed a little unstable. Hazardous.

The waiter tried to step past him, but Saiki moved in to block his way. Right at that moment, the loud noise of clattering glassware resounded through the restaurant for the second time that day.

"Best clean that up. Before someone gets hurt,"Saiki rumbled.

The waiter gulped, not fit to deal with the pressure of Saiki's icy-cold glower as well as the thundering roar of what he presumed was the lecher's boss. He turned and left the hall, tail tucked between his legs.

Saiki took a deep breath. Good grief, he really couldn't stand perverts. He brought his hand up, which had balled into a fist. He unclenched it slowly, revealing his palm.

_What's up with my telekinesis today?_

That had been the second time he'd been able to use it without needing a boost from her. Did it just require her proximity now, just like his telepathy? He tried beckoning the door — left ajar again, of course — with a wave of his hand. It closed with a soft click obediently. He frowned. How long until he would be back to the way he used to be? Unable to see or touch anything without his powers interfering? Hiding in the shadows for fear of exposure?

_No shadows with her around. _

She was beacon of light, after all. Not right now though.

He sighed and turned back around towards her. The commotion had drawn Teruhashi's attention, as she was peeking at him from over her shoulder, with her back still towards him. Her face was barely visible from his point of view, but still he could feel the stab of her piercing glare hit him right in the gut. Saiki swallowed nervously. Handling a displeased Teruhashi Kokomi was likely to be more difficult than stopping a volcano. At least he had been capable of doing the latter.

He also feared the eruption of the former much, much more.

_'Hey, um...' _he started as he approached her cautiously. _'Uh, look. I... I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to... uh, upset you.'_

"What did you think we were?" she spat, her voice cracking. "Friends with benefits?" She still wouldn't face him.

_'What? No.' _He frowned. '_No... of course not.' _She looked so stiff with her arms folded like that. He still couldn't make any sense of her thoughts either. What did she want? Need? Did she even want him there? He glanced around. Should he touch her? Would that just make things worse?

He hesitated. _'I... I don't really know what we are, though,' _he admitted softly.

He might have stepped on a landmine here. She'd frozen completely, both posture and psyche. Was she going to hit him?

He just stood there, awaiting certain death.

No walloping came, though. No resentful words either. Her breathing was slowing down instead, still with the occasional sharp inhale from her crying. Her shoulders sank a little, no longer seeming quite as tense, and then she moved her arm to wipe her cheek with the end of her sleeve.

As far as he could tell, the tempest inside her had subsided. Either that or he was in the eye of the storm right now.

Saiki took a step forward, slowly, trying not to startle — or worse, provoke — her. Her own pride might be in the way just a little, judging from her wish for connection that glided into his mind. He stepped to her side, so he could see her face at last.

_...ah._

That was unexpected.

Her mascara had gotten smudgy, and with her frowning at him like that from the corner of her eye, arms back into a tight fold across her chest, and those blotchy cheeks, he could only... She wasn't like a fiery volcano or a raging hurricane right now, she was…

_She looks like an angry little kitten_.

Something about that turned his insides to mush, although he wasn't sure why. Perhaps because she looked so harmless, and... well, _cute_.

He'd never really considered her as such before. Beautiful, sure. Sexy even, more often than not lately, even though he'd never admit it. Good grief, she was absolutely adorable like this thou—

"A-are you even listening? You're not—"

_'Huh?' _He blinked and shook his head. _'Y-yes. Of course. Sorry.' _

Was that a pout? Good grief, it was. He'd thaw into a puddle on the floor right there if it weren't for that look of sulky annoyance on her face. Actually, that might be contributing to it. He had expected a different kind of defeat when he'd approached her just a moment ago.

_This isn't fair. I can't think like this._

"…geez, _what?_ I know I look like a wreck. Stop staring," she huffed, averting her gaze.

'_Sorry,' _he mumbled. She wiped her face again in frustration, only making it worse. Not much was left of her otherwise impeccable grace, and there was just something endearing about that to him. He couldn't afford to get lost in these thoughts, though. Not right now. She'd eat him alive if he zoned out again.

Perhaps he could utilize them in a different way.

'_No one can pull off a sad raccoon as beautifully as you, though,' _he said carefully, but warmly.

She stared at him, taken aback by his compliment for a second. It was like a cloak of hostility slid right off her shoulders.A moment later she let out a loud moan, throwing her arms up in exasperation. "I don't understand how you can be such an inconsiderate prick and then be the sweetest thing straight after." She sighed. _"Maybe it's a guy thing," s_he huffed as an afterthought.

A nervous chuckle escaped him. _'Maybe.' _His sweetener may have mellowed her a little, but she wouldn't let him off the hook that easily. He took a deep breath, gathering his confidence.

'_Look, uh…about what happened back there.' _He shrugged his shoulders anxiously. For some reason this felt more difficult than telling her about his powers back at that playground. This was so much more revealing.

'_I… I don't uh… don't really _know_… how these things go.' _She was watching him quietly, and something about that gaze caused him to struggle for words even more than he already was. He averted his eyes quickly. '_How you, how you define these things. Things like uh… dating… and stuff_.'

He stole a quick glimpse, but she was just looking to the side now, hugging herself as she was biting her thumb's fingernail. She almost looked deep in thought, except there were none to be found inside her mind. Maybe she was waiting for him to continue. He coughed and started examining the floor again.

'_We, we never talked about it, the specifics… I just didn't know.' _He stuffed his clammy hands in his pockets. Why wasn't she saying anything?

'_It's just… I don't generally conform to, uh, labels… I guess. It was just a genuine question. I didn't mean anything with it.' _He glanced her way again, hoping for a response.

_Is she even listening?_

So much for being a psychic on the mend. He felt absolutely powerless. She sniveled, but otherwise remained silent. This might be worse than her yelling at him.

'_I didn't mean to say that we, uh… W-what I meant was…' _He looked away, shrugging awkwardly. _'I don't know what I meant.'_

_I don't even know what I feel._

_'Um… I'm really sorry.' _All he could hear was his own thundering heartbeat. This silence was killing him. He considered dropping to his knees and begging her for forgiveness.

…for a fleeting moment, anyway.

'…_please say something,' _he tried instead, sounding a bit more desperate than he'd intended.

She blinked and finally lifted her gaze, connecting with him again. "Sorry. I just… It's been like… three weeks now. I don't get it. Sometimes we feel so tight and then a moment later you do or say something… or you throw up your walls, shutting me out." She shook her head. "I get that the whole thing is still a little weird. It is for me, too. But when you act like that, it feels like... like you don't really want… _this_… with me."

_...huh?_

How did she go from being offended by a stupid question to… _this?_ Had he missed a switch on her train of thought somewhere? Was she speaking a different language? He tried looking not as clueless as he felt. Putting on a frown usually helped, so he did just that. _'Uh, you know that my powers—'_

"This is _not_ about your powers!" she bit back, eyes ablaze again. Maybe he should just keep his mouth shut — figuratively, at least. She could call him out on any lie nowadays, anyway. Sometimes he wondered if she was capable of telepathy, too.

He nodded slowly, silently admitting defeat. Her eyes softened a little. "You go from warm and loving to ice-cold in the blink of an eye. I don't understand what sets you off," she muttered. "…it's like you're still fighting something."

_Does she really want to discuss this here? Now?_

"…and when I try to talk to you about it… if I'm lucky, you'll respond with a sneer, but usually you just change the subject or give a non-answer…"

Saiki tried to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat. He couldn't have answered her, even if he'd wanted to. If he'd actually had an answer for her.

"…_or just nothing at all,"_ she thought with a sigh. She eyed him up and down, as if she was scanning his inner workings. "You're so ambivalent. I don't understand what you want."

_Neither do I._

"You said you didn't know what we were because we never talked about it. That's the thing though. We never talked about it because we, well… we don't _talk_."

'…_I'm not much of a... talker,' _he said defensively.

She smirked. "Oh, you talk. Trust me, you do. Just... not about the things that worry you."

He turned his head away from her. She was right. Of course she was. He had been dodging her attempts at deeper dialogue like he would dodge a cockroach. Ignored the questions in her mind like he hadn't heard them in the first place. Just thinking about them was unnerving enough. How could he possibly talk to her about the things that kept him up at night? This paradoxical whirlwind that he just couldn't get a grasp on?

If dating meant sharing everything with your significant other, from your smoldering secrets to your deepest doubts, then...

_I wouldn't even know where to begin._

Then maybe he wasn't dating material after all.

"Saiki-kun?" His gaze reluctantly crawled back to meet hers. Those eyes, that look. It felt so familiar. Inquisitive and resolute, but gentle. Loving. And a little concerned. It went right through him, just like it had that day, at the end of summer. Right before she'd changed him forever with that one, single kiss.

He'd tried to keep her out then, too. That had really worked out for him.

"Why won't you tell me what's bothering you?" she asked softly.

_Why?_

She wanted reasons. Good, logical reasons. Therein lay the problem though. Because none of this made any sense. Not in a rational way, and that was the only way he knew.

She stepped closer to him. So close that he could smell her subtle perfume, and yet miles out of reach. His heart started racing, his breathing quickened — because he wanted her there, and because he wanted her not to be there. Just one contradiction after another.

_I can't tell the difference between risk and rapture anymore._

_"_I…" he started, but nothing followed. She'd looked so hopeful too, when he'd opened his mouth. He clenched and unclenched his hands, and then stuffed them back into his pockets.

"_What is he fighting?" _

She knew the right questions, just not the answers. How could he answer her though, when she took away his cognition? His ability to think?

_I shouldn't even be with you but I can't bear the thought of being without you._

She must be looking right through him with those imploring navy eyes. He felt transparent. He might be. It wouldn't be the first time that she triggered his invisibility by cornering him. He glanced down at himself, but he was still very much opaque this time.

_I don't understand what's happening with my powers._

She looked so harmless with her mascara-stained cheeks, and yet her gaze was still giving him the shivers. Those eyes, that drew him in and scared him away at the same time.

_I don't understand what you're doing to me._

She'd asked him for reasons. Reasons for his turmoil. They would form in his head, wreak havoc in his chest and then get stuck in his throat. There was no way he could tell her any of this.

"_Why won't he let me in?"_

_It scares me that I can't keep you out._

"…I don't know how," he uttered, barely audible.

It was the best answer he could give her right now.

It took her a moment to process that. She frowned pensively, watching him with slightly squinted eyes. There was no response, but her mind was racing. At first she didn't understand, and that seemed to tick her off a great deal. How could he not know? Why the distance? How hard could it be to just tell her what was going on?

Saiki feared she was getting cross with him again. At that point something seemed to click for her, though. Her inner monologue was difficult to follow, not only because she was capable of skipping multiple steps when drawing connections, but also because he lacked the context of her memories and previous life experiences.

Something that she went through last summer. That was all he could make out.

She nodded slowly. Then she just stood there, silently observing him.

"Do you want me to help you?" she asked eventually, after what felt like an eternity.

_Help me?_

He might have gawked at her again. How... how on earth could she possibly think... she was the source of it all, there was just no way that she... she couldn't actually...

_...could she?_

He swallowed. _'...maybe,' _he said hesitantly, his heart in his throat.

"Okay," she whispered, her tone soft and warm. Understanding. Maybe even accepting. Saiki waited for her to continue, but she remained silent. She looked... surprisingly contented.

He blinked. _'…really?'_ he asked incredulously.

She smiled. "Yeah. For now. We shouldn't be discussing this here, anyway."

_'Uh, rather not,' _he muttered. Rather not discuss this anywhere, really. But he shouldn't complain. It felt like he'd dodged a bullet there. _'So... we're good?' _he asked carefully.

"Yeah," she said with a kind smile. "We're good. I'm uh... I'm sorry for shouting at you. I shouldn't have."

'_Hm. It was a little awkward.' _He tried to suppress a grimace, remembering the state they'd left their friends in. Another situation he needed to fix.

_Ugh. _

He couldn't really blame her for getting upset with him, but it hadn't exactly helped their case, either.

'_I uh… I probably deserved it, though,' _he continued with a shrug._ 'Honestly I don't think I'm a great candidate for dating. You might want to reconsider. Before we go back in there,' _he said with a slight smirk, nodding at the door.

She scoffed. "I'm reconsidering smacking you across the face. You were lucky that table was between us."

'_Ninja kicks and face smacks… it's dangerous, being out here with you.' _He narrowed his eyes._ '...maybe I should reconsider.'_

"I'm sure an esper can handle a mere high school girl," she retorted.

It was his turn to scoff now. _'I thought so too. I was gravely mistaken.'_

They watched each other for a moment — him with his trademark scowl, her with fierce eyes. Something in his stomach made a little jump at the moment of eye contact. Seconds later they both broke into a chuckle.

"Anyway," she laughed, "we should really head back." She was about to step away from him, but then she remembered the state of her face. Panic flashed through her mind. "Ah sh— is it bad? How do I look?"

He could tell her that she looked stunning, but he knew she wouldn't believe him even though he wouldn't be lying. Her image needed to be that of perfection, after all, even amongst their close group of friends. He still believed the whole thing was silly, causing her more unnecessary grief than it was worth.

It was also part of who she was, though. This was important to her.

It was his fault that she looked like this in the first place, anyway. It was the least he could do for her.

So he slowly brought his hand up to her cheek, hesitating for a second before his fingertips connected in a featherlight caress. Showing this kind of raw, pure affection still tied his stomach in knots. Not so much anymore because he was rubbish at it, though.

Rather, because it came almost naturally to him, now.

"…you look perfect," he whispered softly.

It'd been a heartfelt statement. With the smudges of her makeup gone, her eyes no longer puffy and bloodshot, she looked exquisite. Her grateful smile might be contributing. He'd intended to remove his hand after casting restoration on her, but for some reason he lingered. It might be the whiff of her fragrance that had changed to that of the day before, catching him off-guard. Fresh and flowery, when she'd visited him and ruined his video game. The memories flooded into his mind, not helping in the slightest with keeping his heartbeat under control.

She was just as close as she'd been back then. Her body pressed against him, no more than a gentle nudge, and yet it was all he could register. A wordless invitation that he received loud and clear.

The same could be said for that pesky voice in the back of his head.

_We shouldn't. We really shouldn't. We're in public. What if someone walks in? What if—_

But at that moment they were already sharing a single breath, her lips so close he could almost taste her. Good grief, she was like a drug. Irresistible, mind-altering and overpowering. He closed his eyes and succumbed to her kiss, as he always did at this point. His mind blacked out, dimming all the other sounds of the world to nothingness.

That was, until he heard a crash so loud that it nearly burst his ear drums. Teruhashi basically jumped into his arms from the shock.

_Damn it._

"…I think I just shattered all the windows in the building," he gasped into her neck.

"S-sorry," she mumbled, panting heavily. A moment later she pulled away from him, straightening her top in an attempt to recollect herself.

"What is your problem with glass today, anyway?"

* * *

"I knew they wouldn't be able to resist. The pull is too strong. To find out what's underneath... those _layers_," Kaidou said ominously, rubbing his bandaged arm.

It'd been madness. They'd gotten themselves mixed up in a panicked evacuation, because the only reasonable explanation for all those broken windows could be that a bomb had gone off somewhere. They'd all been swooped up by the masses and dragged outside.

Saiki had grabbed her hand, trying to use the commotion to split off from their group. They'd only been able to get around the first corner before they'd run straight into Nendou and the rest though. Almost as if they'd been wearing trackers. Saiki had silently huffed that she wasn't far off, as far as Nendou was concerned.

Now they were just walking back to the train station. Teruhashi and Saiki were walking in front, while Nendou, Kuboyasu, Yumehara and Kaidou were hanging at the back. Saiki must be thinking that he could outrun their friends' burning questions, because it was hard to keep up with his hurried pace.

It might be working though, because everyone was being awkwardly quiet.

"I should have known this would happen. The sparks, you know. I _literally _saw them flying. It was obvious…"

Well, everyone except Kaidou, who was still engrossed in the idea of the explosion being an attack from the Dark Reunion. As such, he was completely incapable of reading the current mood.

In fact, he may be adding to it.

"The gods only know what they've been up to in secret…" the _chuunibyou_ cackled manically, "…testing their tools, those polished rockets locking onto their target, ready to blow—"

"Shun, shut up!" she heard Kuboyasu hiss behind them.

"Huh? Wha—" Some aggressive whispering followed. "Oh— OH…"

Teruhashi glanced over her shoulder. Four sets of prying eyes were boring into hers. Well, three. Nendou had been picking his nose and was admiring its contents. Ew. Kaidou had gone red as a beet, too.

"_We um… we gotta say something," _she told her nettled neighbor.

Saiki's frown deepened into a scowl. Not even that massive scarf could hide how displeased he was with the situation, even though the thing was covering half his face.

'_I don't see why. It's none of their business,' _he grumbled.

What was up with him? They already knew. Their secret was out.

_Is he embarrassed?_

"_We can't just leave it like that. They deserve to know. They're… they're our _friends_," _she pleaded.

'_They're a bunch of halfwits that keep following me around.'_

_He _is_ embarrassed._

Saiki just rolled his eyes for an answer.

"_Well, what do you suggest? Wipe their memories?"_

He was quiet for a moment.

'…_too late for that.' _The whispering behind them rapidly got louder, and Saiki's expression even darker. _'…regrettably.'_

"Oh? Partner's going where with Teruhashi-san?"

"Shhh! Going _out_, you idiot," Kaidou snapped.

_They know we can hear them, right?_

"I don't know, guys," Yumehara said in a low voice. "Kokomi would have told me. Sure, they kissed, but..."

"They _**WHAT**_?!" Kaidou shrieked. A moment later she heard some rustling behind her, Yumehara yelping, and Kuboyasu laughing loudly. Teruhashi looked back to see what was going on.

"Hahaha! I can't believe he fainted!" Kuboyasu doubled over, laughing at a now unconscious Kaidou that Nendou was holding up.

'_...what did you tell Yumehara-san?' _Saiki had stopped as well, looking at her from the corner of his eye.

"_N-nothing. She uh… she kinda figured it out herself." _She shrugged her shoulders._ "It was after we first uh… n-not that she knows about _that_… I think she'd faint too, if she knew." _Teruhashi smiled sheepishly at him, but his expression did not change. She wasn't sure what to make of his penetrating glare. Was he angry with her now? _"I uh… this was before we hooked up. You asked me not to tell anyone. I would never betray your trust."_

"Nghh…" Kaidou moaned, slowly coming to while Yumehara was spazzing out next to him.

Saiki gave them a quick glance. _'…I know,' _he said, turning his back on the lot again. He stepped away, probably to continue his way to the station without a second thought like only he could do. She loved and hated him for it.

_Time to stop running._

So she held him by his arm, stopping him in his tracks. He looked startled by her touch, and troubled by her thought. She waited for a moment, until she felt him relax a little. He was still glowering at the nothingness in front of them, but then he gave her a curt nod. She smiled and gave his arm a little squeeze before she let go, turning around to face their friends.

Her legs felt a little weak. She'd fantasized about this moment before…. more than she'd care to admit. Imagined what it would be like, to reveal their status to their friends. See their reactions. She may have even rehearsed a speech once or twice. She'd envisioned them all huddled together in a place of comfort — Saiki's bedroom, for instance. He'd be a little shy, of course. She knew he would be. So his eyes would wander around the room while she'd make the announcement. Eventually he'd meet her gaze, though, and he'd do that thing where his eyes get all soft, squinting them in the sweetest way, with a smile tucked into the corner of his mouth. They'd all witness his precious smile, rare as it was, but he'd broadcast it for all to see.

She and Saiki would be standing proudly next to each other, hand in hand, the epitome of love.

She looked to her side. So here they were, on a dark, cold autumn's day, in the middle of the street. His hands were in his pockets, and he looked no different than when she'd engage his mother in small talk. Annoyed and a little on edge.

She inhaled deeply. She'd always thought she'd be excited to tell their friends about them. But if anything, she felt nervous. She'd gone over this moment so many times in her head, and now she couldn't remember a single word of what she had intended to say.

"Um, guys… about uh, about _us_…" She glanced to her side again. Saiki remained silent, of course. Not that she'd expected any backup from him, but still…

"It's um… it's still early days, which is why we've kept it to ourselves for now. We're uh… still working some things out." She let out a nervous laugh. "As you saw. Sorry about that. But I guess it's safe to say that, uh…"

She glanced to her side again. He'd stolen a glimpse her way, and apparently the moment of eye contact had made him uncomfortable, judging from the way he averted his gaze.

A moment later it crept back to her though. A sweet warmth filled her tummy, travelling up to her chest and possibly reaching all the way up to her cheeks as well. The day suddenly looked a little bit brighter. All but his eyes were hidden from sight by his scarf, and even then it was a challenge to look past his green shades, but she'd seen all she needed to see.

Because his eyes were so soft, and he was squinting them in such a way that it didn't even need the accompanying smile.

"Saiki-kun and I… we're dating."


End file.
